PSG president to miss Ballon d’Or ceremony as Lyon fixture takes priority

Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president of Paris Saint-Germain, will not attend Monday evening’s Ballon d’Or ceremony at the London Palladium.

The decision comes despite 10 Paris Saint-Germain players being included among the 30 nominees for the prestigious award, according to French radio station RMC Sport.

Al-Khelaifi is instead expected to be at the Parc des Princes to watch Paris Saint-Germain face Olympique Lyonnais in a rearranged Ligue 1 fixture. The match is being played as part of the schedule for the postponed eighth round.

His absence will add to the number of notable Paris Saint-Germain figures missing from the ceremony in the English capital.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will not attend as he prepares to undergo knee surgery. Nuno Mendes and seven other Paris Saint-Germain players are also set to miss the event after being included in the squad selected by manager Luis Enrique for the match against Olympique Lyonnais.

Ousmane Dembele, aged 29 and the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, will be Paris Saint-Germain’s only representative present at the ceremony. He is also among the nominees seeking to retain the award.

The accompanying fixture listings include Le Havre in Ligue 1 on 30 October 2026, followed by the Paris Saint-Germain v Olympique Lyonnais fixture. They also list Angers in Ligue 1 on 31 October 2026.