MBAPPé, YAMAL, KANE AND OLISE LEAD RACE FOR 2026 BALLON D’OR

Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane and Michael Olise are among the leading contenders for the men’s Ballon d’Or as football’s biggest names gather in London on Monday.

The 70th edition of the ceremony will honour outstanding performances across the game, with awards for players, goalkeepers, young talents and coaches.

Live coverage begins at 4pm London time, featuring announcements, behind-the-scenes updates and reactions from the ceremony.

The men’s winner will succeed Ousmane Dembélé, who is also nominated for this year’s award. Other contenders include Vitinha, Erling Haaland, Vinícius Júnior and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Kvaratskhelia, however, will miss the ceremony due to injury, although he remains among the nominees.

Organisers have described this year’s competition as one of the closest in recent memory, with no confirmed leak revealing the winners before the event.

The men’s award will be decided by specialist journalists representing the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings. For the women’s award, the voting panel will consist of journalists from the top 50 countries.

The countries represented are determined by the FIFA rankings in place when the nominees were announced on September 8, 2026.

With several strong contenders competing for the top prize, attention now turns to London to see who will take home one of football’s most prestigious individual honours.