Ballon d’Or 2026 Tonight: Kane Favourite as London Hosts First Time
The winner of the 2026 Ballon d’Or will be announced tonight, Monday, October 26, at the London Palladium, with England captain Harry Kane the favourite to lift football’s biggest individual prize. It is the 70th edition of the award, and the first time the ceremony has been staged outside Paris.
The main event begins at 8 pm London time, hosted by Kate Scott and Thierry Henry. The award recognises the standout player of the 2025-26 season, with the assessment period running from August 3, 2025 to July 19, 2026, the day of the World Cup final.
Why Harry Kane leads the race
Bayern Munich striker Kane struck a remarkable 73 goals in 65 games for club and country last season, leading the German giants to a league and cup double and England to the semi-finals of the World Cup. The 33-year-old said winning the award would be a massive milestone in his career.
“It would be a massive milestone in my career,” Kane said ahead of the ceremony. He added that the secrecy around the winner made the wait stressful for his family, saying: “I can see why they don’t tell people. They want everyone to go, all the big names, and there will be more people watching it if they don’t know.”
A supercomputer model has also backed Kane, giving him a 58 percent probability of winning, ahead of Lamine Yamal on 18 percent. However, semi-final exits in both the Champions League and the World Cup for Kane mean the outcome is far from certain.
Mbappe and Yamal: the main challengers
Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe is Kane’s closest rival in the eyes of many pundits. Former Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart said Mbappe should win because he is the best player in the world right now and had a magnificent World Cup.
“Kylian Mbappe. I think he is by far the best player in the world right now, and he had a magnificent performance at the World Cup, so I think he deserves the award,” Van der Vaart said.
Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal, still a teenager, is the third leading contender, while Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi are also among the nominees. The winner succeeds Ousmane Dembele, who won the men’s award in 2025.
A historic night in London
The ceremony is being hosted in England for the first time in recognition of the first-ever winner, Stanley Matthews. Fittingly, it could produce a first English winner in 25 years.
No Nigerian player features on the men’s shortlist, the women’s list or any of the other trophy categories this year. Victor Osimhen, who finished eighth in 2023, and Ademola Lookman, 14th in 2024, both missed out, with Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the World Cup weighing heavily with the judges.
The official result will be confirmed only when the envelope is opened on stage tonight.
Read more: Ballon d’Or 2026 preview: tonight in London and El Clasico: Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1
Sources: Philstar/AFP, Punch and The Economic Times, October 26, 2026.