…Harry Kane Leads Odds Ahead of Lamine Yamal, Mbappé as London Prepares to Host Ceremony
Voting for the 2026 Ballon d’Or closes today, Monday, September 28, 2026, with the winner set to be decided by an international jury of specialised journalists before the ceremony in London next month.
CDA News Nigeria reports that for the men’s award, the jury comprises journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings, while the women’s award will be voted on by 50 specialised journalists from the top 50 FIFA-ranked nations.
CDA News Nigeria gathered that the reference period for this year’s award covers the entire 2025-2026 season, from August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations.
Each juror selects ten players from the 30-man shortlist and ranks them in order of preference. The first receives 15 points, the second 12, followed by 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 2, and 1 point for the tenth. In the event of a tie, players are separated by the number of first-place votes received, followed by second-place votes, and so on.
Kane Leads the Race
According to bookmakers, Harry Kane is the slight favourite after a goal-laden season with Bayern Munich and a strong World Cup campaign with England. The England captain scored 61 goals in all competitions and captained England to the World Cup semi-finals.
Lamine Yamal follows closely, having won the La Liga title and Supercopa with Barcelona before lifting the World Cup with Spain at just 19 years old. Kylian Mbappé, Rodri, and Lionel Messi are also in contention, with Messi rated as a romantic outsider.
Ceremony Details
The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony will be held at the London Palladium Theatre in London, England, on Monday, October 26, 2026, starting at 8:00 p.m. local time (3:00 p.m. ET). This is the first time London will host the ceremony, which is traditionally held in Paris.
DAZN will broadcast the ceremony live and free to fans in 200 markets globally.
Full Men’s Ballon d’Or 2026 Nominees
Jude Bellingham, Pau Cubarsí, Marc Cucurella, Ousmane Dembélé, Luis Díaz, Bruno Fernandes, Gabriel, Erling Haaland, Achraf Hakimi, Harry Kane, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Lamine Yamal, Sadio Mané, Marquinhos, Lautaro Martínez, Kylian Mbappé, Nuno Mendes, Lionel Messi, João Neves, Michael Olise, Willian Pacho, Julián Quiñones, Declan Rice, Rodri, Fabián Ruiz, William Saliba, Ferran Torres, Dayot Upamecano, Vinícius Júnior, and Vitinha.
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