Mbappé, Yamal, Kane and Olise headline contenders for the 2026 Ballon d’Or as football’s top individual prize is decided in London

Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane and Michael Olise will headline the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony in London on Monday as the leading contenders for football’s most prestigious individual award.

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The 70th edition of the ceremony will recognise outstanding players, goalkeepers, young talents and coaches across several categories.

According to the official Ballon d’Or website, live coverage of the ceremony will begin at 4pm London time, with updates on the nominees, reactions, statistics, behind-the-scenes developments and the announcement of the winners.

The men’s award has attracted a strong field that also includes defending champion Ousmane Dembélé, Erling Haaland, Vinícius Júnior, Vitinha and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

The organisers described the contest as one of the closest in recent years, with no confirmed leak revealing the eventual winners before the ceremony.

The men’s award will be determined by an international jury made up of specialist journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings.

For the women’s award, journalists from the top 50 countries will form the voting panel.

The countries represented on the jury will be based on the FIFA rankings in effect when the nominees were announced on September 8, 2026.

Each juror will select 10 players from the 30-man shortlist and rank them in order of merit.

The selections will earn points on a descending scale of 15, 12, 10, eight, seven, five, four, three, two and one point.

The player who accumulates the highest number of points will be crowned the Ballon d’Or winner.

If two players finish level on points, the number of first-place votes will determine the winner. Should the tie remain, second-place votes and subsequent rankings will be considered.

The shortlist is compiled by the editorial staff of France Football, members of the L’Équipe editorial team, at least one member of the previous jury and designated football ambassadors.

The London ceremony will also feature the presentation of the women’s Ballon d’Or and other specialised awards celebrating achievements across the sport.

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With several high-profile names competing for the men’s prize, attention will be focused on whether Dembélé can retain the award or one of the leading challengers, including Mbappé, Yamal, Kane and Olise, can claim the coveted honour.