Ballon d'Or 2026 tonight: Kane, Yamal or Mbappé? Everything to know — and why PSG's nominees won't be there

The 70th Ballon d'Or will be presented tonight, Monday 26 October, at the London Palladium, the first ceremony held outside France. Here is the latest before the envelopes are opened.

Time and how to watch

UK time	20:00
Beijing time	04:00, Tuesday 27 October
Venue	London Palladium
Hosts	Kate Scott and Thierry Henry
Watch	Free stream on DAZN and the official Ballon d'Or website; beIN Sports

Our full Ballon d'Or 2026 guide lists every nominee and award.

PSG will not be there

PSG's league game against Lyon, originally scheduled for Sunday, was moved to tonight at 20:30 CET (19:30 UK) at the request of the Paris police prefecture because of planned demonstrations. That means PSG's ten nominees — including 2025 winner Ousmane Dembélé — will be in Paris, not London. The same thing happened last year, when Dembélé missed his own victory ceremony because Le Classique was rescheduled. Read our PSG v Lyon preview.

The favourites after the weekend

Harry Kane (Bayern Munich). One of the two favourites all season. Bayern went back to the top of the Bundesliga on Sunday with a 3-1 win at Freiburg — match report.

Lamine Yamal (Barcelona). The other leading contender, with 8 league goals and 6 assists this season. But his final appearance before the ceremony ended in a 2-1 Clásico defeat, in which he missed a good chance just before Madrid's opener.

Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid). The man in form. His two goals at Camp Nou took him to 100 goals for Real Madrid and 11 in 10 LaLiga games — Clásico report. The award judges the 2025-26 season, so Sunday's goals will not count, but no one has made a bigger statement this week.

Michael Olise (Bayern). Kane's team-mate, who set up the opener and scored at Freiburg.

Ousmane Dembélé (PSG). The holder, currently injured with a thigh problem.

Other awards to watch

• Coach of the year: Mikel Arteta, Luis de la Fuente, Unai Emery, Vincent Kompany (in hospital after collapsing at training) and Luis Enrique.
• Club of the year: Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Bodø/Glimt, Flamengo, PSG.
• Yashin Trophy: includes David Raya, Thibaut Courtois (who missed the Clásico with flu), Joan García and Emiliano Martínez.

English interest

If Kane wins, he will be the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001. William Saliba, Declan Rice, Erling Haaland and Bruno Fernandes are also on the men's shortlist.

See the full list of past winners in our Ballon d'Or winners records page.

FAQ

What time is the Ballon d'Or 2026? 20:00 UK time on Monday 26 October 2026 (04:00 on Tuesday in Beijing).

Why are PSG players missing the Ballon d'Or? PSG play Lyon at the same time, after the Paris police asked for the game to be moved from Sunday.

Who are the favourites to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or? Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal, with Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise also strongly fancied.