Ballon d’Or 2026 delayed – London red‑carpet chaos pushes start
At the Palladium Theatre in London the Ballon d’Or 2026 will be awarded this evening. Most guests have already walked the Red Carpet, but some invited stars arrived late because of the notorious London traffic, so the organizers have pushed back the start of the ceremony.
Delay and new schedule
The heavy traffic in London held back even the football greats, prompting the organisers to change the start time. A precise new start time has not been announced, but the delay significantly lengthens the evening.
To create a long evening, the most important segment – the awarding of the Ballon d’Or for the men – will be presented only at the end. First, the winners of the Jaschin Trophy (best goalkeeper), the Kopa Trophy (best U‑21 player) and the Gerd Müller Trophy (best scorer) will receive their awards. The best coaches and teams will also be honoured during the evening.
Top‑30 ranking and Brazilian candidates
Ahead of the official start, the first names of the 30‑place list were released. In the top‑10 are Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Michael Olise, Rodri and Fabian Ruiz. Seven PSG players – Achraf Hakimi, Vitinha, Joao Neves, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes, Marquinhos and Ferran Torres – are also in the running.
Places 11 to 20 include Jude Bellingham (11), Pau Cubarsi (12), Achraf Hakimi (13), Vitinha (14), Declan Rice (15), Ferran Torres (16), Vinicius Junior (17), Marc Cucurella (18), Joao Neves (19) and Willian Pacho (20). Brazil is represented by three nominees: Marquinhos took 25th place, Gabriel Magalhães 21st place and Vinícius Júnior (Vini Jr) 17th place.
The Red Carpet will be accompanied by football legends, former players and international celebrities, as shown in photos of Luis de La Fuente, Michael Owen, Rafa Benítez, Lucy Bronze, Alan Shearer and Andriy Shevchenko.
The ceremony ends with the ceremonial presentation of the evening’s most coveted prize – the Ballon d’Or for the men – which takes place only at the end of the extended programme.