Ballon d’Or 2026: confidentiality tested ahead of London gala
Three days before the 2026 Ballon d’Or gala, scheduled for Monday 26 October in London, rumours are intensifying around the succession of Ousmane Dembélé, the current holder, while the organisers are redoubling their efforts to keep the result secret and avoid another massive leak like in 1986.
A public revelation in 1986
In 1986, the trophy was announced in front of 14 000 people in Kiev, when journalist Avdey Pinaloff informed Igor Belanov, striker of Dynamo Kiev, of his triumph. Belanov first ran to buy champagne from a wine merchant before discovering that the official ceremony was still confidential. About a dozen hours later, the magazine France Football gave the green light, allowing the crowd in Kiev to learn the result before the rest of the world.
The London 2026 gala
The next Ballon d’Or will be presented on Monday 26 October at the London Palladium, near Oxford Circus, marking the first edition of the ceremony in the British capital and the 70th anniversary of the award. The evening will bring together the best players in the world, selected on their performances between 1 August 2025 and 31 July 2026, a period that includes the 2025/26 season and the summer World Cup.
The shortlist includes 30 players, officially unveiled on 8 September, with names such as Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Vitinha and others. The previous gala was held on 22 September 2025, highlighting the close scheduling of the two editions.
Favorites and stakes of the vote
Harry Kane, captain of the Three Lions, is widely tipped as the favourite, backed by odds of 1/4. He scored 73 goals in all competitions during the 2025/26 season, including 12 for England and 61 in 51 matches with Bayern Munich, of which 36 were in the Bundesliga, earning him a second European Golden Shoe.
Kane aims to become the fifth Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or, the first since Michael Owen in 2001, after already having won the Gerd‑Müller‑Trophy. His performances also led Bayern to a historic double, combining the German championship title and the DFB Pokal.
Ousmane Dembélé, the current holder of the trophy after his triumph with Paris Saint‑Germain last year, remains in the running, as does Lamine Yamal, world champion with Spain, and Kylian Mbappé, top scorer of the World Cup. The odds place Yamal at 7/4 and Mbappé at 14/1, while Lionel Messi also appears at 14/1.
The winner will be chosen by an international jury of journalists, one representative per country among the hundred best nations in the FIFA ranking. This method guarantees a diversity of opinions, but increases the pressure to keep the secret until the very last moment.
The contrast between the massive broadcast of 1986 and the strict confidentiality today shows the evolution of the Ballon d’Or, where technology and global enthusiasm make any potential leak harder to control, while fueling the anticipation of fans worldwide.