Ballon d’Or 2026: London to host ceremony as France Football explains move

The winner of the 2026 Ballon d’Or will be announced at 19:00 GMT on Monday, with the ceremony taking place at the London Palladium.

The event is being held outside France for the first time this year, with attention focused on which of the three leading contenders – Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane – will succeed Ousmane Dembele as the world’s best player.

Kane could become the first Englishman to lift the award on home soil. However, France Football, which organises the ceremony, says the decision to stage it in London is unrelated to the possibility of the Bayern Munich striker winning the prize.

Instead, the magazine says the move is intended as a tribute to Stanley Matthews, the first winner of the Ballon d’Or, whose achievement is being marked 70 years on.

Matthews was playing for Blackpool when he won the award, which at the time recognised the best player in Europe.

France Football also said the trophy’s growing international profile could lead to future ceremonies being held outside France.

“The international dimension taken on by this prestigious trophy makes it possible to imagine that the experience could be repeated elsewhere than in France,” it said.

The 2026 ceremony at the London Palladium will therefore determine whether Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal or Harry Kane adds their name to the list of Ballon d’Or winners, following Dembele’s success.