London Hosts the 70th Ballon d'Or Ceremony
The prestigious football awards event takes place at the Palladium Theatre in London with top players competing for the honor.
The 70th Ballon d'Or ceremony is taking place at the Palladium Theatre in London, England, marking the first time the prestigious event is being held outside of France. The relocation honors Stanley Matthews, the very first winner of the award. Hosted by Kate Scott and Thierry Henry, the gala celebrates the top achievements in men's and women's football from an action-packed year of goals, trophies, and unforgettable moments.
Ahead of the main ceremony, pre-event drama unfolded when the Ballon d'Or website inadvertently published articles declaring Harry Kane as the winner of the men's award. Similar gushing profiles for Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal were also posted in error and subsequently removed by organizers, who had prepared profiles for multiple eventualities. Bookmakers have pointed to a tight race between Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé for the top men's honor.
As crowds gathered behind security fences in a wet English capital, organizers began rolling out the official player rankings. Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes landed in the 27th position on the men's side. Other notable placements in the initial rankings included Arsenal's Gabriel in 21st, Inter's Lautaro Martínez in 22nd, and PSG's Nuno Mendes in 23rd, followed closely by teammate Marquinhos in 25th.
In the Ballon d'Or Feminin standings released earlier in the day, players from various international leagues learned their positions. Yui Hasegawa of Manchester City claimed the 11th spot, while Klara Bühl of Bayern Munich secured 12th and Mariona Caldentey of Arsenal took 13th. Lyon's Wendie Renard and Barcelona's Cata Coll rounded out the upper portion of the unveiled rankings.
The evening schedule includes numerous accolades alongside the primary Ballon d'Or trophies. Organizers are set to present awards for the men's and women's coach of the year, best goalkeeper through the Yashin Trophy, best young player via the Kopa Trophy, the Gerd Müller Award, club of the year honors, and the Socrates Award.
Red carpet arrivals at the London Palladium Theatre kicked off at 7:00 p.m. local time, with the main ceremony scheduled to run from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. With a four-hour time difference currently in effect between the UK and North America following the end of European daylight saving time, football fans worldwide are closely watching to see who takes home the sport's highest individual honors.