The Ballon d'Or suspense grows as Harry Kane becomes the favorite

Votes for the Ballon d’Or close this Monday 28 September at midnight, and the majority of the one hundred journalists already appointed have expressed their choices. The ceremony, scheduled for 26 October at the London Palladium, will see an Englishman, Harry Kane of Bayern Munich, tipped as the favourite by the bookmakers.

Each juror represents a nation among the top one hundred in the FIFA ranking. He ranks ten players among the thirty nominated, awarding fifteen points to the first, twelve to the second, ten to the third, etc. Once the deadline has passed, the votes become final and are tallied internally by France Football.

A historic ceremony in London

For many years, the name of the winner was kept secret before the trophy was presented. This secrecy has lessened since the end of the Messi‑Ronaldo hegemony, which shared thirteen victories. This is the first time the ceremony is being held in London.

Harry Kane scored sixty‑one goals in fifty‑one matches last season, across all competitions, and won three titles with Bayern Munich. With the Three Lions, he finished third at the World Cup, a performance judged very respectable.

His main rival will probably be the young Lamine Yamal, while the previous winner Ousmane Dembélé will not defend the trophy this year.

Bookmakers have Kane at the top, but the suspense will remain total until the official announcement on the evening of 26 October, when the winner will be revealed to the public.