Ballon d'Or 2026: Where to watch, start time, how does voting work as Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal eye prize

The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony takes place Monday at London Palladium; Kane, Yamal and Messi are among the men's nominees.

The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony will be held Monday at the London Palladium in London, marking the award's 70th anniversary and honouring Sir Stanley Matthews, who won the first Ballon d'Or in 1956.

The men's award nominees include Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Lionel Messi, Rodri, Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and others. Voting is conducted by a panel of 100 sports journalists for the men's award and 50 for the women's, who select their top 10 picks based on individual performances, team achievements and career. Points are awarded for each spot in the top 10 and tallied to determine the winner.

The Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best young player, uses a different voting system with a jury of former Ballon d'Or winners. Both men's and women's awards will be presented with identical formats.