Ballon d’Or Explains Why the 2026 Award Ceremony Will Be Held in London
- The 2026 Ballon d'Or award ceremony will be held in London, England, instead of the traditional Paris, France
- Ballon d'Or celebrates its 70th anniversary and is set to be hosted in the English capital city for the first time in history
- PSG forward Ousmane Dembele is the current holder of the award and is one of the favourites to win it again this year
The 2026 Ballon d'Or Award ceremony will be held in London, England, moving away from its traditional home at the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris, France.
This year’s ceremony is symbolic as it is the 70th anniversary of the award, which began in 1956 and has been awarded every year except in 2020 because of COVID-19.
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Paris Saint-Germain attacker Ousmane Dembele is the current holder, winning it after helping the French club to a historic first UEFA Champions League title.
As noted by Olympics, the Frenchman became the fourth player who is not Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the award since 2008 after Luka Modric (2018), Karim Benzema (2022), and Rodri (2024).
Messi has won the award a record eight times, the last of which came in 2023, while his eternal rivals Ronaldo picked up the award five times, last touching it in 2017.
Why 2026 Ballon d'Or moved to London
France Football announced in May that the 2026 Award will be held in London, England, on October 26, with the exact venue and time to be announced later.
The 2026 edition is symbolic as it is the 70th anniversary of the award, which raises the question of why it was moved from its traditional home.
Ballon d'Or explained that the 70th edition will be held in London to pay homage to the first winner, Englishman Stanley Matthews, who won it in 1956.
“By staging its 70th edition in the capital of England and the United Kingdom, the Ballon d’Or™ continues its expansion and further strengthens its status as a globally prestigious brand,” the statement further read.
Two English footballers who were born and raised in London, England, Declan Rice and Harry Kane, are two of those in contention for the award this year.
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Kane scored 61 goals in all competitions to help Bayern Munich win the German Bundesliga and DFB Pokal double, and reached the Champions League semi-final.
Rice was pivotal in helping Arsenal win their first Premier League title in 22 years and also reached their first Champions League final in 22 years, which they lost to PSG.
The two players are key members of Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where the Three Lions aim to win their first title since 1966.
Updated Ballon d'Or rankings
Legit.ng previously analysed the updated Ballon d'Or rankings after Paris Saint-Germain defeated Arsenal on penalties to win the 2025/26 Champions League.
Current holder Ousmane Dembele remains the leading favourite to retain his award, but things could change at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Source: Legit.ng
