Ballon d'Or ceremony in London today: Kane, Yamal, Mbappe battle for historic award

The Ballon d'Or ceremony takes place at London's Palladium today — the first time in 70 years the award returns to England since Stanley Matthews won the inaugural prize in 1956. Bayern Munich and England captain Harry Kane enters as favourite to become the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001, after a staggering 73 goals in 65 games for club and country last season that delivered a Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double.

But Kane's case has cracks. Bayern exited both the Champions League and the World Cup at the semi-final stage, leaving his trophy cabinet light on the biggest prizes. Standing in his way: 19-year-old Barcelona phenomenon Lamine Yamal, fresh off a World Cup win with Spain, and Kylian Mbappe, who finished as top scorer in La Liga, the Champions League and the World Cup — becoming the competition's all-time leading scorer with 22 goals — yet won zero team trophies in 2026.

Yamal declared last month: "For me, Mbappe and me, we're the two best players in the world... this year I would deserve it because of what I've won." Mbappe's response: "Who am I voting for? Myself." The women's award sees Alexia Putellas favoured for a third crown after Barcelona reclaimed the Champions League, with former teammate Ewa Pajor her main challenger.

The voting panel — one journalist from each of FIFA's top 100 nations — weighs individual brilliance against collective success. Kane has the numbers, Yamal has the winners' medal, Mbappe has the historic scoring records.

What carries more weight for you: 73 goals and a domestic double, a World Cup winner's medal at 19, or becoming football's all-time World Cup top scorer without a single major tournament trophy?

SOURCE: https://www.channelstv.com/2026/10/26/kane-tipped-to-beat-yamal-mbappe-to-ballon-dor-glory/