Ballon d’Or 2026: Finalists Announced at London Ceremony

The 70th edition of the Ballon d’Or awards occurred at the London Palladium in England, marking the first time the ceremony was held outside Paris. The event took place on a Monday and was hosted by sports broadcaster Kate Scott and French football legend Thierry Henry.

The final ten contenders for the men's award, listed in alphabetical order, are Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain/France), Erling Haaland (Manchester City/Norway), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich/England), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain/Georgia), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid/France), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami/Argentina), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich/France), Fabian Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain/Spain), Rodri (Manchester City, Barcelona/Spain), and Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain). The rankings from 11th to 30th included notable players such as Jude Bellingham (11th, Real Madrid), Pau Cubarsi (12th, Barcelona), and Achraf Hakimi (13th, PSG).

The women's award finalists included players like Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current/Malawi) and Alexia Putellas (Barcelona, London City Lionesses/Spain).