Harry Kane is expected to become just the fifth Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or in London tonight.
The Bayern Munich striker is the bookmakers’ favourite to be crowned the world’s best player at a glittering ceremony – hosted by Thierry Henry and Kate Scott – at the Palladium Theatre.
Kane has had another wonderful year for Bayern and England, scoring 61 times for the Bundesliga giants in all competitions last season as they clinched another league and cup double. The 33-year-old also scored six times as England finished third at the World Cup.
Kylian Mbappe is thought to be Kane’s closest challenger. Mbappe scored 42 goals in 44 games for Real Madrid last season, and added another 10 in the United States, Canada and Mexico over the summer. But Madrid’s failure to land any major silverware could hamper his chances.
He will also arrive in London with a spring in his step after netting twice in Madrid’s Clasico win at Barcelona last night.
The same can’t be said for Lamine Yamal, who was on the losing side at Camp Nou. The teenager is regarded as third favourite to lift the trophy despite scoring 16 times as Barca retained the Liga trophy and playing a key role as Spain backed up their 2024 European Championship success by winning the World Cup.
Lionel Messi is believed to be an outsider.
Messi returned to the shortlist for the first time in three years following his remarkable performances at the World Cup, where he guided Argentina to the final before losing to Spain.
The 39-year-old also had another brilliant year with Inter Miami in the United States, helping them win a maiden MLS Cup in December.
Messi has won the award eight times previously but it would be a major surprise if he were to add a ninth.
If Kane does triumph he will join Kevin Keegan, Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Stanley Matthews and Michael Owen in a small group of English winners.
The full list of nominees for the men’s 2026 Ballon d’Or award
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona)
Marc Cucurella (Real Madrid)
Ousmane Dembele (PSG)
Luis Diaz (Bayern Munich)
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Gabriel (Arsenal)
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
Achraf Hakimi (PSG)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG)
Marquinhos (PSG)
Sadio Mane (Al-Nassr)
Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)
Nuno Mendes (PSG)
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)
Joao Neves (PSG)
Willian Pacho (PSG)
Julian Quinones (Al-Qadsiah)
Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Rodri (Barcelona)
Fabian Ruiz (PSG)
Ferran Torres (PSG)
William Saliba (Arsenal)
Dayor Upamecano (Bayern Munich)
Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)
Vitinha (PSG)
How does the voting for the Ballon d’Or work?
The 30-player shortlist for the main awards is voted for by a panel of journalists from France Football and L’Equipe.
One journalist from each of the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings then votes for their top 10 from each list with each position afforded a certain number of points.
- First Place: 15 points
- Second Place: 12 points
- Third place: 10 points
- Fourth place: 8 points
- Fifth place: 7 points
- Sixth place: 5 points
- Seventh place: 4 points
- Eighth place: 3 points
- Ninth place: 2 points
- Tenth place: 1 point
Which players have won the award previously?
2025: Ousmane Dembele
2024: Rodri
2023: Lionel Messi
2022: Karim Benzema
2021: Lionel Messi
2019: Lionel Messi
When will the award be handed out?
The ceremony will take place on Monday, October 26 at the Palladium Theatre in London.
Where to watch the Ballon d’Or ceremony
TV channel and live stream: You can watch the 2026 Ballon d’Or awards ceremony live across the world on DAZN for free. Those without an existing DAZN account will have to sign up for a free membership using their email address.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: 101greatgoals.com
