Ballon d’Or 2026: verdict already sealed before the ceremony

The journalists' verdict, delivered last Monday, sealed the winner of the 2026 Ballon d’Or, well before the ceremony scheduled for October 26 in London. No match, goal or statement since can still influence the final result, whose tally was closed on September 28.

The Ballon d’Or voting system

One hundred journalists, representing the top hundred nations in the FIFA ranking, make up the electoral college. Each voter creates a Top 10 among the thirty nominated players, awarding fifteen points to the first choice, twelve to the second and ten to the third.

The total points determine the winner: the player who accumulates the most points wins the trophy. Once the count is completed, the ranking becomes mathematically fixed and no changes are possible.

Consequences for the contenders

The voting deadline was set for September 28, covering the 2025‑2026 season, including this summer’s World Cup. Performances since then can no longer be considered in the vote, which officially ends the campaigns of Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane and the other nominees.

For Mbappé, Yamal or Kane, the case is now closed: even an outstanding run in October would have no influence on the result of this edition. Yamal’s recital at Wembley thus became one of his last chances to make an impression before the vote closed.

The paradox persists for nearly a month: football continues, the candidates still score, the debate goes on, but the jurors have already finished their work. The public will have to wait until Monday, October 26 at the London Palladium to officially learn the successor of Ousmane Dembélé, crowned in 2025.

This seventieth edition will be the first held in London, reinforcing the international character of the ceremony. In the meantime, speculation will continue, but the name of the 2026 Ballon d’Or is already recorded somewhere in the already submitted ballots.