The winner of the 2026 Ballon d’Or will soon be announced at a star-studded ceremony next month.London will host the 70th edition of the award ceremony in October.The 2026 Ballon d’Or winner will be revealed at a star-studded ceremony in LondonGettyThis year’s award will be handed out based on performances during the 2025/26 season as well as this summer’s World Cup.France Football’s cut-off dates for the latest Ballon d’Or stretched from August 1, 2025 to July 31, 2026.Ousmane Dembele is the current holder of the prestigious award after winning it for the first time last year.The Paris Saint-Germain forward was honoured ahead of Lamine Yamal and Vitinha following his side’s treble triumph.When is the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony?The Ballon d’Or ceremony will be held on Monday, October 26.Although an exact venue has yet to be announced, the gala will be held in London for the first time.A total of 30 players have been nominated for the award.The previous ceremony was held earlier than this year’s on September 22, 2025.Who is the favourite for the 2026 Ballon d’Or?Harry Kane is among the leading candidates for this year’s Ballon d’Or.The England captain is seen by many as the frontrunner for the award following an incredible year.Kane is seen by many as the leading candidate to win the 2026 Ballon d’OrGettyHowever, Yamal is expected to rival Kane after winning the World Cup with Spain to add to Barcelona‘s LaLiga title victory.World Cup golden boot winner Kylian Mbappe is also in the mix following his 10-goal haul at the tournament for France.Kane himself found the net six times as the Three Lions finished third in North America, their best performance since 1966.Those goals took his overall tally for club and country in the 2025/26 season to 73 across all competitions.Kane’s form in front of goal last term has already secured him a second Gerd Muller Trophy, awarded to the highest-scoring player of the season.He previously shared the award with Mbappe in 2024 after they both scored 52 goals for club and country.Kane scored 73 goals for club and country during the 2025/26 seasonAFPLast 10 Ballon d'Or winners2015: Lionel Messi2016: Cristiano Ronaldo2017: Cristiano Ronaldo2018: Luka Modric2019: Lionel Messi2021: Lionel Messi2022: Karim Benzema2023: Lionel Messi2024: Rodri2025: Ousmane DembeleAs well as scoring 12 times for England, he was on target 61 times in just 51 appearances for Bayern Munich.Those goals included 36 in the Bundesliga as he won a second European Golden Shoe.Kane also helped his side lift by the league title and the DFB Pokal in an historic double.His previous best finish in the Ballon d’Or is 10th, which he achieved in 2017, 2018 and 2024.The 33-year-old is aiming to become the fifth Englishman to win the award and the first since Michael Owen in 2001.How is the Ballon d’Or winner chosen?France Football’s criteria for the Ballon d’Or voting process outlines three requirements for the award winner.World Cup winner Yamal is also in the running for the prestigious awardGetty2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony awardsBallon d’OrBallon d’Or FemininMen’s Kopa Trophy – Best Under-21 playerWomen’s Kopa TrophyMen’s Yashin Trophy – Best goalkeeperWomen’s Yashin TrophyGerd Muller Trophy – Highest-scoring footballerSocrates Award – Recognises humanitarian workMen’s Club of the YearWomen’s Club of the YearMen’s Coach of the YearWomen’s Coach of the YearThe trophy is to be awarded to a player based on their individual performances as well as decisive and impressive character.Team performances and achievements such as trophies must also be considered.Meanwhile, class and fair play are also to be taken into consideration by voters.The winner is voted for by an international jury of football journalists.They consist of one representative from each country in the top 100 of FIFA‘s World Rankings.