What is important to know about the Golden Ball ceremony in 2026

The 70th Golden Ball Award ceremony, the most prestigious individual award in world football, will take place in London on October 26. For the first time in history, the event will be held in the UK, and among the contenders for the main prize were Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Lamin Yamal and Lionel Messi. Where and at what time the ceremony will begin, how the winners are chosen and who won the award in previous years — in the Izvestia article.

Where and when will the Golden Ball award be held in 2026

The Golden Ball award ceremony will take place on Monday, October 26, at the London Palladium Theatre. The start is scheduled for 20:00 local time (23:00 Moscow time). The event will be held in the capital of Great Britain for the first time — before the award ceremony was traditionally held in France.

The organizers timed the choice of London to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the award. It was English footballer Stanley Matthews who became the first winner of the Golden Ball in 1956. The evening will be hosted by former French national team striker Thierry Henry and sports presenter Kate Scott. The ceremony will be available to watch on the DAZN platform.

What is the Golden Ball and when did the award appear?

The Ballon d'Or is an annual football award established by the French sports magazine France Football in 1956. It is awarded to football players for individual achievements, performances in clubs and national teams.

Initially, the award was intended exclusively for European football players. In 1995, the rules were changed and players of any nationality could claim the prize, provided they played for European clubs. The first winner after the innovation was Liberian George Weah.

In 2007, geographical restrictions were finally lifted. From that moment on, football players from any country and world championships could be nominated for the award. From 2010 to 2015, the award was presented jointly with the International Football Federation (FIFA) under the name "FIFA Golden Ball". After the completion of the cooperation, France Football returned the awards to the previous format, and FIFA established a separate award, The Best FIFA Football Awards.

Since 2018, the Golden Ball has also been awarded to the best football players. The first winner of the women's nomination was Norwegian Ada Hegerberg.

Starting in 2024, the ceremony will be jointly organized by France Football and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). At the same time, the French edition retains the rights to the award and is independently responsible for the voting procedure.

How to choose the winner of the Golden Ball

The winners are determined by an international jury of sports journalists. Representatives of 100 countries with the highest positions in the FIFA ranking vote in the men's nomination, while representatives of 50 countries vote in the women's nomination. One journalist from each country participates.

The organizers pre-form a list of 30 applicants in each category. Then each member of the jury selects ten football players and assigns them to their places. 15 points are awarded for the first place, 12 for the second, and 10 for the third. The remaining positions are evaluated in 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point, respectively.

The winner of the Golden Ball is the player who scored the most points. If the results are equal, the candidate who was most often put in first place gets the advantage. If the indicators match, the number of second, third and subsequent places is taken into account.

When choosing the winner, the jury is guided by three main criteria. In the first place are individual performances, performance and the influence of a football player on the game. Then team achievements and trophies won are taken into account, as well as athletic behavior and compliance with the principles of fair play.

Since 2022, the award has been awarded based on the results of the football season, not the calendar year. In 2026, performances are estimated from August 3, 2025 to July 19, 2026, including the FIFA World Cup and other international tournaments.

Who is competing for the Golden Ball in 2026

30 football players are competing for the men's Golden Ball this year. Among them are Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane, Real Madrid's French forward Kylian Mbappe, Barcelona's Spanish striker Lamin Yamal and eight-time Lionel Messi award winner.

One of the main contenders is considered to be Kane, who scored 73 goals in 65 matches for the club and the national team during the estimated period. His competitors include Yamal, who won the 2026 World Cup as part of the Spanish national team, as well as Mbappe and Messi.

The list of UEFA nominees also includes Erling Holann, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Hvicha Kvaratskhelia and the current winner of the award, Ousmane Dembele.

In the women's category, 30 football players will compete for the prize, including Alexia Putellas, Eva Payor, Alessia Russo and Marion Caldentey. The winner of the previous three years, Aitana Bonmati, was not among the nominees after a serious injury sustained in December 2025.

What other awards will be presented at the ceremony

In addition to the two main Golden Balls, the 2026 ceremony will determine the winners of awards in several additional categories. Among them are the Copa Trophy for the best young players, the Yashin Trophy for goalkeepers, the Gerd Muller Award for strikers and the Johan Cruyff Trophy for coaches.

The organizers will also name the best men's and women's football teams for the season. The Socrates Prize for social, public and charitable initiatives of athletes will be awarded separately.

Who has won the Golden Ball most often

The record holder for the number of Golden Balls remains the Argentine striker Lionel Messi. He received the prestigious award eight times in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023. The second place is occupied by Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the trophy five times. Frenchman Michel Platini, Dutch Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten each won three awards.

Soviet football player Lev Yashin remains the only goalkeeper to receive the main Golden Ball. He was awarded the award in 1963. Other Soviet winners of the award include Oleg Blokhin, who won in 1975, and Igor Belanov, who won the prize in 1986.

In women's football, the Spaniard Aitana Bonmati won the most awards, becoming the winner three times in a row — from 2023 to 2025. Before her, her compatriot Alexia Putellas had won the trophy twice in a row.

In 2020, the Golden Ball was not awarded due to the coronavirus pandemic. This is the only case of cancellation of the award since its establishment in 1956.