Harry Kane leads Ballon d'Or race as 70th edition moves to London

Harry Kane heads the 2026 Ballon d'Or nominations as the award's 70th ceremony is held in London, its first edition outside Paris.

• The ceremony takes place Monday at the London Palladium, honouring Stanley Matthews, the award's inaugural winner in 1956.
• Kane scored 73 goals for Bayern Munich and England in 2025/26 and would be Bayern's first winner since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981.
• Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen confirmed a delegation will travel to London, saying Kane's 73 goals "carry special significance this time."
• Dreesen added that four Bayern players feature among the nominees for the first time in a decade, and called Michael Olise a future winner.
• French broadcaster RMC reported that only about five people know the winner's identity, after organisers stopped informing players in advance in 2024.
• RMC analyst Jérôme Rothen argued that Kylian Mbappé does not deserve the Ballon d'Or.
• Fake leaks of the Ballon d'Or ranking have circulated on social media ahead of the ceremony.
• RMC reported that Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé and last year's winner Ousmane Dembélé will attend Monday's ceremony in London.