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Anticipation is reaching fever pitch as the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony draws closer, with the long-awaited shortlists for the prestigious awards set to be announced next week.
The countdown to the 70th France Football Ballon d’Or is officially underway, with the world’s football community preparing for one of the biggest nights on the sporting calendar.
The ceremony will take place on Monday, October 26, 2026, in London, England, where the best performers from the previous season will be recognised across a number of individual and team categories.
The men’s winner will become the 70th Ballon d’Or champion, while the women’s winner will become the eighth recipient of the women’s award.
Alongside the two headline prizes, awards will also be presented to outstanding young players, goalkeepers, coaches and clubs who enjoyed exceptional campaigns.
Football fans will not have to wait much longer to discover who has made the cut.
The official shortlists for all Ballon d’Or categories will be unveiled on September 8, with the nominees announced through the official Ballon d’Or website.
A total of 10 categories will feature shortlists:
The Men’s and Women’s Striker of the Year awards will also be presented during the ceremony.
The prestigious Sócrates Award, presented by the L’Équipe group and Peace and Sport, will recognise a footballer who has made a significant contribution to solidarity initiatives or societal causes.
Once the nominees are announced, the winners will be decided by an international jury made up of specialist football journalists.
The voting panel includes one representative from each of the top 100 nations in the FIFA Men’s World Ranking and the top 50 nations in the Women’s World Ranking.
Each journalist will select and rank their top 10 players from the respective shortlist.
The voting system awards:
15 points for first place, followed by a decreasing number of points down to one point for the tenth-placed player.
The final winners will be determined by the total number of points accumulated by each nominee.
Three key criteria guide the voting process:
The player with the highest overall points total will ultimately lift the coveted Ballon d’Or trophy on October 26.
The 2026 ceremony will mark a significant change from recent editions.
Since 2019, the Ballon d’Or ceremony has traditionally been held at the elegant Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. This year, however, the event is moving to London as part of celebrations surrounding the award’s 70th anniversary.
The decision also pays tribute to the inaugural Ballon d’Or winner, Sir Stanley Matthews.
Matthews, widely remembered as the “Wizard of Dribble”, won the first-ever Ballon d’Or and became an enduring symbol of English football.
His historic victory was celebrated in a rather different setting to the spectacular ceremonies fans see today. Matthews received his golden ball in a wood-panelled room at Blackpool Town Hall, while the town’s mayor even commissioned a commemorative china plate.
More than seven decades later, the Ballon d’Or has grown into one of the most prestigious individual awards in world football.
The 2026 ceremony promises to be considerably grander.
Last year's ceremony saw several of football's biggest names recognised.
Ousmane Dembélé — Paris Saint-Germain & France
Aitana Bonmatí — Barcelona & Spain
Lamine Yamal — Barcelona & Spain
Victoria López — Barcelona & Spain
Gianluigi Donnarumma — Paris Saint-Germain & Italy
Hannah Hampton — Chelsea & England
Luis Enrique — Paris Saint-Germain
Sarina Wiegman — England
Viktor Gyökeres — Sporting CP & Sweden
Ewa Pajor — Barcelona & Poland
Paris Saint-Germain
Arsenal
With the nominees set to be revealed on September 8, attention will soon turn to the biggest question of all: who will be crowned the world’s best player in 2026?
The shortlist announcement will provide the first major indication of which players, coaches and clubs have impressed the Ballon d’Or jury most during the season.
From established superstars to emerging young talents, the competition promises to generate plenty of debate before the winners are finally announced in London on October 26.
Football fans around the world now have just one date to remember:
September 8 — the Ballon d’Or shortlists are revealed.
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