World football is waiting for one of the most prestigious individual awards in sports – “The Ballon d'Or“ for 2026. The ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the award will be held in London for the first time and promises serious intrigue in the battle for the most valuable prize.
Among the main favorites is Bayern Munich and England national team striker Harry Kane. The goalscorer impressed with exceptional results during the period under review, scoring 73 goals in 65 matches for his club and national team.
With Bayern alone, Kane has 61 goals in 51 matches, with 36 of them in the Bundesliga, which earned him a second “Golden Boot“ of Europe. To his individual honors, he added the title, the Cup and the German Super Cup, as well as six goals at the World Cup, where England finished in third place.
Serious competition, however, comes from Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe. The French international has scored 58 goals in 60 matches for club and country, with 42 of them with the “royal club“ team.
Although he became the winner of the “Golden Boot“ at the World Cup with 10 goals, the fact that France finished fourth and Real Madrid did not win the most important club awards could prove to be a decisive factor in the race.
Among the contenders is one of the biggest young stars in world football - Lamine Yamal. The Spaniard triumphed with the world title, and before that he won La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup. On a personal level, he impresses with 25 goals and 20 assists.
The extended list of candidates also includes former winner of the award Ousmane Dembele, Rodri and the record holder for winning “Golden Balls“ Lionel Messi, although their chances are considered smaller.
The awards ceremony will be held on Monday night at the London Palladium, and the event will be hosted by Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry and popular TV presenter Kate Scott.
In addition to the “Ballon d“, a number of other awards will be presented for men and women, including awards for young talent, goalkeeper, coach, club and striker of the year, as well as the prize for initiatives in the field of solidarity. Interestingly, Lamine Yamal is among the nominees for both the grand prize and the award for best young player.
In the women's category, the favorites include two-time winner Alexia Putejas, her Barcelona teammate Eva Payor and Manchester City star Khadija Shaw.
The winners are determined by voting by journalists from the 100 highest-ranked countries in the FIFA rankings. Each of them ranks ten footballers from a list of 30 nominees, with points ranging from 15 to 1. The main criteria are individual performances, collective successes and trophies won, as well as the class and fair play of the candidates.