Ballon d'Or 2026: When it starts, who's nominated and how to watch

Soccer's best-known individual award will be handed out on Monday for the 70th time, and this year the ceremony moves from Paris to London. The 2026 Ballon d'Or gala takes place at the London Palladium Theatre, UEFA said in its ceremony guide. The choice of London honors Stanley Matthews, the English winger who won the first Ballon d'Or in 1956.

France Football magazine created the award, and it has been co-organized with UEFA since 2024, according to UEFA. Under that arrangement, France Football's parent company, Groupe Amaury, still owns the brand and oversees the vote, while UEFA runs the gala and markets the commercial rights. Former France striker Thierry Henry and broadcaster Kate Scott will host, UEFA said.

What time does the Ballon d'Or start in the US?

UEFA and BBC Sport both say the ceremony begins at 20:00 GMT on Monday, Oct. 26. Because the UK left summer time on Oct. 25 and US clocks don't change until Nov. 1, that is 4 p.m. ET and 1 p.m. PT. El Universo and Mexico's Claro Sports also list 4 p.m. ET for the US, as do Sports Illustrated and Goal's US edition. Claro gives 2 p.m. in Mexico City, 3 p.m. in Bogotá and 5 p.m. in Buenos Aires.

Some US outlets give a different time. DAZN's US guide and CBS Sports list the ceremony at 3 p.m. ET, and the official ballondor.com schedule lists 3 p.m. for New York. Those listings had not changed as of early Monday morning. NewsCubby is using the 20:00 GMT start from UEFA and the BBC. Viewers should open the stream early.

According to ballondor.com, the evening in London starts about 4 p.m. local time (noon ET) with the release of the men's and women's rankings from 30th to 11th. The red carpet runs from 6 to 7:40 p.m. London time (2 to 3:40 p.m. ET), and the ceremony is scheduled to last about two hours.

How can I watch it?

In the US, DAZN is streaming the ceremony live and free, DAZN said, and El Universo reported that viewers only need to sign up with an email address. El Universo also reported that DAZN is the default free option across most of Latin America, including Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador and Argentina, while in Spain the gala airs on Movistar Plus+ and Max for subscribers. Claro Sports said it will have special coverage in Mexico, though it described DAZN access there as requiring a monthly subscription. In the UK, the ceremony is on DAZN and the BBC Sport website and app will run live text updates, the BBC said. UEFA's list of broadcast partners names DAZN as the global rights holder everywhere except about two dozen territories, mostly in Europe and Central Asia, and the US is not among the exceptions. In Spain, UEFA lists Telefónica, the owner of Movistar.

How is the winner chosen?

According to BBC Sport, journalists from France Football and L'Équipe draw up the 30-player men's shortlist. A panel of 100 journalists from around the world then ranks the players. DAZN said each juror on the men's side comes from one of the top 100 nations in the FIFA rankings and picks a top 10. For the women's award, the panel is 50 journalists, according to DAZN and CBS Sports. Points run from 15 for first place down to 1 for 10th, and ties are broken by the number of first-place votes, according to DAZN.

The BBC said jurors are told to weigh three things, in this order: individual performances and decisive impact, team performances and titles, and class and fair play. DAZN reported the voting period covers Aug. 3, 2025, through July 19, 2026, which includes the men's World Cup.

Who is on the men's shortlist?

UEFA's list of 30 includes three former winners: Messi, Dembélé and Rodri. BBC Sport described Kane, Yamal and Mbappé as favorites to rank highly. Claro Sports wrote that this edition arrives without a clear favorite and included Messi among the contenders. NewsCubby is not predicting a winner. These are some of the cases that outlets have laid out:

- **Lamine Yamal (Spain, Barcelona):** BBC Sport noted the 19-year-old won the under-21 Kopa Trophy in 2024 and 2025, finished second in the main vote last year, and was part of Spain's World Cup-winning team. The BBC said he had 24 goals and 18 assists for Barcelona. - **Kylian Mbappé (France, Real Madrid):** the BBC reported he won the World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals, becoming the tournament's all-time top scorer, and scored 42 goals in 44 games for Real Madrid. - **Harry Kane (England, Bayern Munich):** the BBC said Kane scored 73 goals for club and country in 2025-26 and led England to third place at the World Cup, the country's best finish since it won the tournament in 1966. - **Lionel Messi (Argentina, Inter Miami):** according to the BBC, Messi captained Argentina to second place at the World Cup, scored eight goals there and has 29 goals in 32 games for Inter Miami this year. - **Rodri (Spain):** the BBC said the 2024 winner was named the World Cup's best player after injury-hit seasons.

The BBC said Spain's World Cup title could help the six Spanish players on the list: Pau Cubarsí, Marc Cucurella, Yamal, Rodri, Fabián Ruiz and Ferran Torres.

Which Latin American players and teams are nominated?

Besides Messi, the men's list includes Argentina's Lautaro Martínez (Inter), Colombia's Luis Díaz (Bayern Munich), Ecuador's Willian Pacho (Paris Saint-Germain), Mexico's Julián Quiñones (Al-Qadsiah) and Brazil's Vinícius Júnior, Marquinhos and Gabriel, according to UEFA. Claro Sports highlighted Quiñones, writing that his World Cup performances drew attention and earned him a place among the candidates.

On the women's list, Mexico's Scarlett Camberos of Club América is a nominee, along with Brazil's Lorena of the Kansas City Current, who is also up for Goalkeeper of the Year. Haiti's Melchie Dumornay and Jamaica's Khadija Shaw represent the Caribbean, UEFA's list shows.

Latin America is also represented in the other categories. Brazil's Flamengo is one of five nominees for men's Club of the Year, Club América is up for women's Club of the Year, and Argentina's Emiliano Martínez is among the 10 men's goalkeeper nominees, according to UEFA. Every men's Coach of the Year nominee except Bayern's Vincent Kompany is Spanish: Mikel Arteta, Luis de la Fuente, Unai Emery and Luis Enrique.

Who are the women's contenders?

The women's holder, Spain's Aitana Bonmatí, won't defend her title because injuries kept her out for most of the season, the BBC reported. UEFA noted that Alexia Putellas, who won in 2021 and 2022, is the only former winner on this year's list. The BBC singled out Putellas, who captained Barcelona to four trophies including the Champions League; Shaw, the Women's Super League's top scorer for a third straight season; Poland's Ewa Pajor, the Champions League's top scorer with 11 goals; and Haiti's Dumornay, who helped OL Lyonnes win a domestic treble.

Six Spanish players are on the women's list, according to UEFA: Mariona Caldentey, Cata Coll, Patri Guijarro, Mapi León, Clàudia Pina and Putellas. US midfielder Rose Lavelle of Gotham FC is also a nominee.

What other awards will be given out?

UEFA lists awards for the best men's and women's player, young talent (formerly the Kopa Trophy), goalkeeper (formerly the Yashin Trophy), coach, club and striker, plus the Sócrates Award for social and humanitarian work. The BBC counts 13 trophies in all and still uses the traditional names: the Kopa, Yashin, Gerd Müller and Johan Cruyff trophies.

UEFA's young talent shortlists include Yamal and Cubarsí on the men's side. On the women's side they include Spain's Vicky López, who won the award last year, and Clara Serrajordi, along with US midfielder Lily Yohannes of Lyon. Goalkeeper nominees include Spain's Joan García, David Raya and Unai Simón, and Barcelona's Coll on the women's side, UEFA said.

Who is expected in London?

Mbappé and Dembélé, the holder, are expected to attend after accepting their invitations, French broadcaster RMC Sport reported, according to the French newspaper 20 Minutes and the site Football.fr, which both cited RMC. Football.fr reported, citing the same RMC reporting, that Kane and Yamal are also expected. NewsCubby has not independently confirmed who will attend, and plans can change before the red carpet opens. 20 Minutes noted that Real Madrid has said it will not boycott the gala. Football.fr recalled that the club sent no delegation in 2024 after learning at the last minute that Vinícius Júnior would not win.

Paris Saint-Germain, which has 10 players on the men's shortlist according to GiveMeSport, faces a scheduling clash. Its Ligue 1 match against Lyon was moved from Sunday to Monday evening and will be played at the same time as the ceremony, 20 Minutes reported. The paper said Paris police had asked for the change because they did not want to be stretched thin by weekend protests in the city. Dembélé is injured and not in the squad, Goal reported. 20 Minutes said Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's attendance remains uncertain because he tore a knee ligament against Barcelona and needs surgery, and Goal said PSG captain Marquinhos, who has a thigh injury, had not confirmed.

What we know

- The ceremony is Monday, Oct. 26, at the London Palladium, starting at 20:00 GMT per UEFA and the BBC, which is 4 p.m. ET. - DAZN streams it free in the US with registration. - Messi, Dembélé and Rodri are the former winners on the men's list. Putellas is the only former winner on the women's list.

What we don't know yet

- Who will win. The results are kept secret until the ceremony. - The full rankings, including 30th through 11th, which ballondor.com said it will release Monday afternoon.

What happens next

The winners will be announced on stage Monday, and ballondor.com said press conferences follow at about 10:30 p.m. London time (6:30 p.m. ET). NewsCubby will publish the results once they are announced.

*Credits: reporting from UEFA, BBC Sport, CBS Sports, DAZN, ballondor.com, El Universo, Claro Sports, Sports Illustrated, Goal, 20 Minutes, Football.fr (citing RMC Sport) and GiveMeSport. NewsCubby articles are produced with AI assistance and reviewed by humans.*