Ballon d'Or 2026: Kane, Mbappé and Yamal in tight race as London ceremony holds today

The 2026 Ballon d'Or winner will be named today, Monday, October 26, at the London Palladium, with Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal leading the race for the men's award.

It is the 70th edition of the award, organised by France Football in partnership with UEFA, and 13 trophies will be presented across the men's and women's categories and other individual and team honours. The awards recognise performances during the 2025–26 season.

For Nigerian fans who follow European football closely, the outcome will settle months of argument over who was the best player of the season — and it comes just months after the 2026 World Cup.

Pundits are split

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown said Kane should win on the strength of his numbers. "Statistically he should probably win it," Keown said, according to TNT Sports, adding that it would be remarkable if the England captain claimed the prize.

Former France international Djibril Cissé also said he would love to see Kane win, describing him as a nice guy, though he expects it to be difficult. Cissé told Mr Gamble that Lionel Messi should not be written off and will finish in the top four or five.

Former Brazil striker Sonny Anderson took a different view. He told Téléfoot that Mbappé is his number one, with Yamal second and Kane third. Anderson pointed to Mbappé's scoring, noting he finished as top scorer at the 2026 World Cup, winning the Golden Boot ahead of Messi, and also topped the Champions League and LaLiga scoring charts last season.

Not everyone is convinced. French journalist Bertrand Latour, speaking on Canal Football Club on Canal+, argued that Mbappé did not win any trophies during the year. "That would be a shameful Ballon d'Or," he said.

How the winner is decided

The winner is not chosen by fans, players or coaches. A jury of 100 journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA world rankings votes for the men's award, while 50 journalists decide the women's award.

Each juror ranks 10 players from a 30-name shortlist. A first-place vote is worth 15 points, second 12, third 10, fourth eight and fifth seven, with five, four, three, two and one point for sixth to 10th. The player with the highest total wins, and a tie is broken by the number of first-place votes.

Voters weigh three things, in order: individual performance, team achievements with club and country, and class and fair play.

Other awards on the night include the Kopa Trophy for young players, the Yashin Trophy for goalkeepers, the Gerd Müller Trophy for goalscorers, the Johan Cruyff Trophy for coaches, Club of the Year and the Sócrates Award for humanitarian work.

What happens next: The winners will be revealed at the ceremony in London today. The result will be judged against the season's statistics and trophies, and the debate over who deserved it will likely continue long after the envelopes are opened.