Bellingham and Vinícius miss Ballon d'Or top 10 as London ceremony holds
- Jude Bellingham finished 11th and Vinícius Júnior 17th in the 2026 men's Ballon d'Or rankings.
- The top 10 names were released in alphabetical order, with the winner due at the London Palladium.
- It is the first time the ceremony has been held in London instead of Paris.
Real Madrid pair Jude Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior have fallen short of the top 10 in the 2026 men's Ballon d'Or, finishing 11th and 17th respectively, according to the rankings released on Monday.
The awards ceremony is holding at the London Palladium, the first time the event has been staged in London after years in Paris. This is the 70th edition of the prize.
Bellingham, the England midfielder, was the closest to the elite group, placed just outside at 11th. Barcelona's Pau Cubarsí took 12th, with Paris Saint-Germain's Achraf Hakimi 13th and his club teammate Vitinha 14th. Arsenal's Declan Rice came 15th and Barcelona's Ferran Torres 16th.
Who is still in the race
Ten players remain in contention, listed in alphabetical order rather than final position: Ousmane Dembélé, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Michael Olise, Rodri, Fabián Ruiz and Lamine Yamal.
The final order and the winner were still to be confirmed as the ceremony progressed.
Other notable placings released on Monday include Marc Cucurella in 18th, João Neves 19th and Willian Pacho 20th. Gabriel Magalhães came 21st, Lautaro Martínez 22nd, Nuno Mendes 23rd and Luis Díaz 24th.
Marquinhos was 25th, Dayot Upamecano 26th and Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes 27th. Julián Quiñones placed 28th, while Sadio Mané and William Saliba shared 29th.
The Ballon d'Or is awarded each year to the player judged to have delivered the outstanding individual performance over the assessment period.
What happens next
The remaining top-10 positions and the overall winner are expected to be announced as the London ceremony continues.
