2026 Ballon d'Or Ceremony Begins at 3 p.m. ET in London

The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET on Monday, October 26. For the first time in its history, the prestigious event is being held outside of France, taking place at the London Palladium Theatre in England to honor the inaugural winner, Stanley Matthews.

Hosted by Kate Scott and Thierry Henry, the gala celebrates the world's best football players across men's and women's categories. In addition to the main Ballon d'Or trophies, the ceremony will distribute a wide array of accolades, including the Kopa Trophy for best young player, the Yashin Trophy for top goalkeeper, the Cruyff Trophy for coach of the year, the Gerd Müller Trophy for best striker, and awards for club of the year and humanitarian work.

Ahead of the official proceedings, preliminary rankings for both the men's and women's shortlists have been rolling out throughout the day. Drama preceded the event when the official Ballon d'Or website mistakenly published articles declaring different finalists as winners—including Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and Lamine Yamal—before organizers quickly took the pages down.

Bookmakers have pointed to a tight race between Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe for the men's top honor, with Kane arriving alongside his Bayern Munich squad at the London venue earlier in the day. On the women's side, contenders are looking to succeed reigning multi-year winner Aitana Bonmatí.

Red carpet arrivals at the London Palladium began at approximately 7 p.m. local time, leading directly into the main ceremony. The event is scheduled to conclude by 10 p.m. local time, wrapping up a monumental year of international and domestic football achievements.