The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony will take place at the London Palladium on Monday 26 October, London time, and the men's winner is expected to be named at around 23:00 GMT. That is around 06:00 on Tuesday 27 October in Vietnam, according to a detailed running order published by TNT Sports on 24 October and reported by Bongda24h. Bongda24h cautioned that the timings are estimates and the order of the awards could change on the night.
Surveys by international media, rounded up by Dân trí, put Harry Kane in front going into the ceremony. Those are newspapers' forecasts, not results: the award is decided by the votes of an international panel of journalists, judged on individual performance, team success and sportsmanship, Bongda24h noted.
The schedule in Vietnam time
This is the first time the ceremony has been held in the English capital, marking 70 years since France Football created the award. KBVN+ laid out the TNT Sports running order as carried by Bongda24h:
| Segment | GMT (26 October) | Vietnam (27 October) |
|---|---|---|
| Places 30 to 11 revealed | 17:00 - 19:30 | 00:00 - 02:30 |
| Red carpet at the London Palladium | from 19:30 | from 02:30 |
| Show begins | around 20:00 | around 03:00 |
| Main awards segment | around 21:00 | around 04:00 |
| Men's Ballon d'Or announced | around 23:00 | around 06:00 |
The GMT times for the start of the show and the main awards segment were converted by KBVN+ from the Vietnam times Bongda24h gave. Britain is on GMT from 25 October, seven hours behind Vietnam.
Timings vary between outlets: Dân trí put the ceremony at 02:00 on 27 October Vietnam time, while the TNT Sports schedule cited by Bongda24h has the show starting at around 03:00. Besides the men's and women's Ballon d'Or, the night will honour the best young player, goalkeeper, striker, coach and club in both men's and women's football. Former player Thierry Henry and presenter Kate Scott will host, taking over from Didier Drogba, who presented in previous years, Bongda24h reported.
Surveys and simulations favour Kane
According to Dân trí, the New York Times carried out an anonymous survey of more than 100 figures in the game, including players, coaches, sporting directors and club presidents. The result:
| Candidate | Survey points | Notes (source) |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Kane | 1,103 points | 39 first-place votes, 72 top-three votes, the highest vote total at 96/100 (Dân trí) |
| Lamine Yamal | 991 points | Played a part in Spain's World Cup triumph (Bongda24h) |
| Kylian Mbappé | 728 points | Top scorer in La Liga, the Champions League and the World Cup 2026 (Bongda24h) |
The newspaper quoted a former Premier League coach who praised Kane's numbers and called him a top-class No 9 with every skill from finishing to link-up play. Bongda24h said Kane scored 73 goals for Bayern Munich and England last season.
Dân trí also cited an ESPN simulation of the vote using 20 journalists from 20 countries, which again came out in Kane's favour. ESPN analyst Bill Connelly pointed out that Kane played 8 more matches than Yamal (more than 600 minutes) and was directly involved in 81 goals and assists, 36 goals and assists more than the Spaniard, Dân trí reported. On the other side, Olé said Yamal plays with a touch of Lionel Messi, but that votes split between Spain's and PSG's stars weaken his case, according to Dân trí.
Dân trí noted that if Kane wins, he would be the fifth Englishman to take the award after Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Michael Owen. The shortlist also includes Ousmane Dembélé, Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi and Jude Bellingham, according to Bongda24h.
BOAT is not part of the ceremony
Another vote has drawn attention: the Ballon d'Or Of All Time (BOAT). According to Dân trí, the organisers said BOAT is only a fan poll and no trophy will be handed out at the ceremony on 26 October. Voting closes on 27 October and the result will be announced on 28 October. Fans can vote as often as they like at €1 (almost 29,000 dong) per vote. Cristiano Ronaldo leads with 75% of the votes, ahead of Messi on 9%.
The organisers also separated BOAT from the Super Ballon d'Or, an official honour France Football has awarded only once, in December 1989, to Alfredo Di Stéfano as the player with the most Ballon d'Or wins over the previous three decades. They said it has not been awarded since and no date has been set for a second edition, Dân trí reported. Ronaldo has won 5 Ballon d'Or awards and Messi 8.
What comes next
For viewers in Vietnam, places 30 to 11 will be revealed between 00:00 and 02:30 on 27 October, and the men's winner is expected at around 06:00 the same day. The BOAT result will follow on 28 October. For more background, see our earlier stories on Harry Kane and the wait for the result and on Real Madrid's return to the gala and Yamal's private jet to London.