Ballon d'Or 2026: Nominees, London Date and the Favourite's

The 2026 Ballon d'Or will be handed out on Monday 26 October at the London Palladium, the first time the ceremony has been held in London.

The 30-man shortlist dropped on 8 September, and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane heads into the ceremony as the clear favourite after a 61-goal club season, with Lamine Yamal his only serious challenger in the betting.

Reigning winner Ousmane Dembélé is back on the list. Aitana Bonmatí, who has won the women's award three years running, is not.

Ballon d'Or 2026 Key Details

Date: Monday 26 October 2026 (London), Tuesday 27 October in Australia

Venue: London Palladium, London, hosted by Thierry Henry and Kate Scott

Start time: 8pm London time, which is 7am AEDT (Sydney, Melbourne), 6:30am ACDT (Adelaide), 6am AEST (Brisbane) and 4am AWST (Perth), with red carpet coverage starting around two hours earlier.

Reigning winners: Ousmane Dembélé (men), Aitana Bonmatí (women).

Eligibility window: August 3, 2025 to July 19, 2026, the day of the World Cup final.

Why the Ballon d'Or 2026 Is in London

France Football handed the first Ballon d'Or to Blackpool winger Stanley Matthews in 1956, when he was 41.

UEFA confirmed in May that the 70th edition would go to London as a tribute to him, after years of Paris ceremonies.

It's a neat bit of symmetry, and an English winner on home soil would be quite the script.

Ballon d'Or 2026 Men's Nominees

Paris Saint-Germain dominate the 30-man list with nine players, a reward for winning the Champions League for the second year running after beating Arsenal on penalties in Budapest.

Here's the list, grouped by 2025/26 club:

Paris Saint-Germain (Nine): Ousmane Dembélé, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Willian Pacho, Fabián Ruiz, Vitinha

Bayern Munich (Four): Luis Díaz, Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Dayot Upamecano

Arsenal (Three): Gabriel, Declan Rice, William Saliba

Barcelona (Three): Pau Cubarsí, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres

Real Madrid (Three): Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior

Manchester City (Two): Erling Haaland, Rodri

Others (Six): Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Lautaro Martínez (Inter), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr), Julián Quiñones (Al-Qadsiah)

Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphinha, Pedri and Dani Olmo all missed out.

Harry Kane Leads the Ballon d'Or 2026 Conversation

Kane's case is built on sheer weight of goals, and the market has moved hard his way, with the Bayern striker firming from around $2.75 in early September into a short-priced favourite.

He scored 61 in 51 games for Bayern in 2025/26, including 36 in the Bundesliga, and added a domestic treble of the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup.

That haul earned him the European Golden Shoe for the second time, and he hit 14 goals in the Champions League as Bayern reached the semi-finals.

Then came the World Cup. Kane scored six as England finished third, their best result since 1966, and finished the window on 73 goals for club and country.

A win would make him the first Englishman to take the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001. Lothar Matthäus has already called him the favourite.

The gap in his CV is a big one, though.

No Champions League, no World Cup, and voters have leaned hard on both lately. Even so, a season like that puts his name in the conversation about the most goals in football history.

How the 2026 World Cup Shapes the Ballon d'Or Race

Spain won the World Cup, beating Argentina 1-0 in the final at MetLife Stadium on 19 July. Ferran Torres came off the bench and scored the winner in the 106th minute of extra time. The final falls inside the voting window, so it counts.

That puts Spaniards firmly in the frame. Rodri won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player, and Lamine Yamal is now a World Cup winner at 19 and the clear second favourite behind Kane.

Kylian Mbappé is the other heavyweight, with 15 Champions League goals and a second World Cup Golden Boot, although France lost to Spain in the semis.

Then there's PSG. Dembélé has said he expects the trophy to stay with a Paris Saint-Germain player, but with nine of them nominated, the votes could easily split.

Women's Ballon d'Or 2026 Nominees

Bonmatí's absence guarantees a new women's winner. She broke her leg late in 2025, and the injury-hit campaign cost her a nomination. Barcelona still lead the way with eight nominees after beating OL Lyonnes 4-0 in the Women's Champions League final.

Barcelona (Eight): Esmee Brugts, Cata Coll, Caroline Graham Hansen, Patri Guijarro, Mapi León, Ewa Pajor, Clàudia Pina, Alexia Putellas

Manchester City (Five): Kerstin Casparij, Alex Greenwood, Yui Hasegawa, Vivianne Miedema, Khadija Shaw

Bayern Munich (Three): Klara Bühl, Pernille Harder, Momoko Tanikawa

OL Lyonnes (Three): Selma Bacha, Melchie Dumornay, Wendie Renard

Arsenal (Two): Mariona Caldentey, Alessia Russo

Kansas City Current (Two): Temwa Chawinga, Lorena

Others (Seven): Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride), Scarlett Camberos (Club América), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC), Melvine Malard (Manchester United), Manaka Matsukubo (North Carolina Courage), Caroline Weir (Real Madrid), Tessa Wullaert (Inter)

Putellas, a two-time winner, has the strongest case after being named Champions League Player of the Season. Pajor was the competition's top scorer with 11, and Shaw scored 21 as Manchester City won the WSL.

Australians on the Ballon d'Or 2026 Shortlists

There are no Australians on any of the 2026 shortlists.

No Matildas made the 30 women's nominees, and no Aussies feature in the young player (Kopa Trophy), goalkeeper (Yashin Trophy) or coach categories for the men or the women.

That's no great shock in a year dominated by Champions League and World Cup performers.

How Ballon d'Or 2026 Voting Works

The award is season-based, covering 3 August 2025 to 19 July 2026, the day of the World Cup final.

Voters are an international panel of journalists, one from each of the top 100 nations in the FIFA rankings for the men's award, and a smaller panel for the women's.

They weigh individual performance and results first, then team achievements, then class and fair play. Voting closed on 28 September, so the result is already locked in.

DAZN is streaming the ceremony live and free in around 200 markets, with only a free account needed, and the official Ballon d'Or website is showing it live as well.

Ballon d'Or 2026 FAQs

When is the Ballon d'Or 2026 in Australian time?

Early on Tuesday 27 October, with the ceremony starting at 7am AEDT on the east coast, 6am AEST in Brisbane and 4am AWST in Perth.

Where is the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony?

The London Palladium, the first time the ceremony has been held in London. It streams live and free on DAZN and the official Ballon d'Or website.

Who won the Ballon d'Or in 2025?

Ousmane Dembélé won the men's award and Aitana Bonmatí the women's, her third straight.

Is Aitana Bonmatí nominated for the 2026 Ballon d'Or?

No. She missed the 30-player shortlist after an injury-hit season, so there will be a new women's winner.

When was the last English Ballon d'Or winner?

Michael Owen in 2001. Harry Kane would be the first since then if he wins in London.