Ballon d’Or 2026: full schedule and how to watch from London on October 26-27, 2026
London will host the Ballon d’Or 2026 ceremony at the London Palladium on the night of October 26-27, 2026, with the main awards segment due to begin at 1:30 AM IST on October 27, 2026 and Harry Kane arriving as the frontrunner for the men’s prize.
Kane is positioned to become only the fifth English player to win the Ballon d’Or and the first since Michael Owen 25 years ago; his principal challengers named in coverage are Real Madrid and Barcelona talents Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal.
The event programme includes an early release of the rankings from 30th to 11th on social media, scheduled between 9:30 PM IST on October 26, 2026 and 12:00 AM IST on October 27, 2026, while players will be arriving and signing autographs ahead of the formal proceedings.
Guests including players, coaches and other attendees are expected at the London Palladium for a 12:00 AM IST ceremonial start, with Thierry Henry and Kate Scott set to host the awards; the hosts will present the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or trophies and hand out accolades for young talent, goalkeepers, strikers, coaches and clubs.
A social post shared the evening’s timetable in French under the header "🟡BALLON D’OR 2026 : LE PROGRAMME DE LA SOIRÉE !📋" and listed: "17h00 — Révélation des places 30 à 11 sur la chaîne L’Équipe"; "19h30 — Tapis rouge au London Palladium"; and "21h00 — Début de la cérémonie, présentée par Thierry Henry et Kate Scott." The tweet also stated "La cérémonie sera diffusée gratuitement… pic.twitter.com/Jv1LUDXj2F."
The ceremony will be available to watch for free worldwide on DAZN and on the official Ballon d’Or website, and coverage notes that fans in India can view the broadcast live without charge on those platforms; the event schedule indicates winner interviews and other media duties will follow the awards as the night concludes.
The men’s Ballon d’Or winner is expected to be announced at around 3:13 AM IST on October 27, 2026, after which winner interviews and additional media responsibilities will take place; for ongoing coverage and updates the original report directs readers to follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or via the Khel Now Android and iOS apps and its Telegram community.
