When is the 2026 Ballon d’Or, who are the favourites, and how can you watch it?

The Ballon d’Or, football’s astir prestigious idiosyncratic honour, volition beryllium awarded connected Monday, with Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe among the frontrunners successful the men’s class and Spain’s Alexia Putellas the favourite to prime the women’s grant for the 3rd time.

Given to the champion subordinate of the 2025-26 season, the upcoming ceremonial volition people the award’s 70th edition, and the archetypal clip it is held extracurricular France.

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Ahead of Monday’s authoritative gala, here’s everything to cognize astir the award, its past and more:

What is the Ballon d’Or?

The Ballon d’Or is the highest idiosyncratic grant fixed to a footballer, based connected his oregon her show successful the erstwhile season.

The grant was created successful 1956 by 2 sports writers, Gabriel Hanot and Jacques Ferran, from France Football, a French magazine.

Originally, the men’s grant was constricted to European players, but successful 1995 it was expanded to see each players of immoderate root progressive astatine European clubs. Finally, successful 2007, it became a planetary grant with each nonrecreational footballers being eligible.

The women’s Ballon d’Or started successful 2018 erstwhile Ada Hegerberg was named the inaugural winner.

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and Groupe Amaury – owners of France Football and L’Equipe – person co-organised the Ballon d’Or since the 2024 edition.

Who decides the Ballon d’Or winner?

The victor is chosen by an planetary assemblage of specialised journalists, with 1 typical per country: the apical 100 nations according to the FIFA rankings for the men’s award, and the apical 50 for the women’s award.

The FIFA ranking utilized is the 1 successful effect astatine the clip the nominee lists were published, which successful this lawsuit was connected September 8, 2026.

How does the voting work?

Each assemblage subordinate selects 10 players successful descending bid of merit from a 30-player shortlist.

The database is past compiled by the editorial unit of France Football, members of L’Equipe’s editorial team, astatine slightest 1 subordinate of the erstwhile edition’s jury, and UEFA ambassadors Luis Figo and Fabio Capello for the men’s trophy, and Nadine Kessler for the women’s trophy.

The 10 selected players person 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 constituent respectively, based connected the bid of their rankings successful the voting.

In the end, the Ballon d’Or is awarded to the subordinate with the highest wide score.

What’s the voting criteria?

Players are judged for their performances implicit the full of past season. For this year’s award, the timeline is from August 3, 2025, until July 19, 2026.

Jurors are asked to instrumentality 3 factors into information erstwhile ranking players. The Ballon d’Or regulations database the pursuing successful bid of importance:

1. Individual performances, decisive and awesome character
2. Collective performances and titles won
3. Class and just play

Harry Kane of Bayern Munich is the bookies’ favourite to triumph the Ballon d’Or this twelvemonth [Adam Pretty/Getty Images]

Who is the favourite to win?

In the men’s category, England’s skipper Kane, who scored an incredible 73 goals past season, is the bookmakers’ favourite to triumph the Ballon d’Or. As of Sunday, helium holds astir 70 percent of the marketplace share.

Kane was the Bundesliga’s apical scorer for the 3rd twelvemonth moving and besides earned a 2nd European Golden Shoe. The 33-year-old won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, and led England to a third-place decorativeness astatine the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Frenchman Mbappe, who won the Golden Boot astatine the World Cup and acceptable an all-time goals record, is the 2nd favourite, followed by teenage winger Lamine Yamal, who was portion of Spain’s satellite title-winning squad.

The men’s 30-player star-studded shortlist besides features Argentina’s 2022 World Cup victor Lionel Messi and the past 2 Ballon d’Or recipients, Ousmane Dembele and Rodri.

Who could triumph the Ballon d’Or Feminin?

For the women’s Ballon d’Or, Spain skipper Alexia Putellas is the frontrunner aft starring her erstwhile nine Barcelona to quadruple glory, which included the Liga F and Women’s Champions League crowns.

Putellas, who won the Ballon d’Or successful 2021 and 2022, is hoping to lucifer teammate and reigning victor Aitana Bonmati’s grounds of 3 trophies.

Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw, the Women’s Super League apical scorer for a 3rd run successful a row, Barca’s Ewa Pajor, the women’s UCL apical scorer, and Lyon’s Melchie Dumornay, who won a home treble, are besides successful the running.

Where and erstwhile is the Ballon d’Or ceremony?

The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremonial volition beryllium held astatine the London Palladium connected Monday, October 26, marking the archetypal clip it is being held successful Britain.

Organisers said the determination to determination the ceremonial distant from France, its accustomed big country, was made to wage tribute to the 1956 inaugural Ballon d’Or winner, England’s Stanley Matthews.

The reddish carpet volition statesman astatine 18:00 GMT and past for astir an hr and a half.

It volition beryllium followed by the authoritative ceremonial astatine 20:00 GMT. France and Arsenal striker Thierry Henry and sports writer Kate Scott volition beryllium the cohosts.

US rapper French Montana and English vocalist Jorja Smith volition execute astatine the gala.

Where tin I ticker the ceremonial and travel it online?

Al Jazeera Sport volition person unrecorded sum of the awards ceremonial from 17:00 GMT.

DAZN volition livestream the ceremonial for escaped successful astir countries. Also, viewers successful France tin ticker the ceremonial connected L’Equipe TV, portion Telefonica volition televise it successful Spain.

Who has won the astir Ballon d’Or awards?

Argentine fable Lionel Messi has a grounds 8 Ballon d’Or awards successful his trophy cabinet. He besides holds the grounds for the astir consecutive wins (four), taking the trophy location successful 2009-2012.

His longtime rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, is 2nd connected the list, with 5 Ballon d’Ors.

France and Paris Saint-Germain guardant Dembele won the 2025 Ballon d’Or, portion Spain’s skipper Rodri was the 2024 winner.

Which different awards are fixed astatine the Ballon d’Or?

A full of 13 awards volition beryllium presented connected Monday, including the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Ors.

• Men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or
• Men’s and women’s Kopa Trophy (for U-21 players)
• Men’s and women’s Yashin Trophy (for champion goalkeeper)
• Men’s and women’s Gerd Muller Trophy (for champion striker)
• Men’s and women’s Johan Cruyff Trophy (for champion coach)
• Men’s and women’s Club of the Year
• Socrates Award (for humanitarian work, foundation projects, and societal solidarity initiatives)