00:08 CET - It was a long night, but well worth it if you are a fan of Harry Kane or Alexia Putellas.
They have won the Ballon d'Or, and let's run you through the rest of the results in a night dominated by Spanish football.
Barcelona's women's team were named club of the year, their goalkeeper Cata Coll won the Lev Yashin Trophy, and Vicky Lopez won the young talent of the year.
Their coach Pepe Ramon was also heralded as coach of the year.
He may have missed out on the top prize, but Lamine Yamal did win the men's young talent of the year for a third-straight season, although he believed Pau Cubarsi should have won it.
PSG won men's club of the year to end the Spain onslaught, although national team coach Luis de la Fuente kept it running by winning men's coach of the year, whilst goalkeeper Unai Simon won the men's Lev Yashin Trophy.
Kane was named striker of the year, as was Pachuca's Charlyn Corral.
Finally, Bukayo Saka was awarded the Socrates Award for his charity work at home and abroad.
If you want more details on tonight's events, scroll down to find out more.
00:00 CET - There has been plenty of thank-yous from Harry Kane to his former managers, teammates, friends and family. It's obvious just how much this means to him. He joins a small list of English players to win the award. Sir Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan, Michael Owen and now, Harry Kane.
23:52 CET - Harry Kane has won their first men's Ballon d'Or! The Palladium erupts!
The 73-goal marksman has done it - he picks up the award from Ronaldo, and is speechless.
"Being in London is special, thank you to everyone who voted for me, I'm sure it was tough to pick.
"Congratulations to all the winners and nominees, it's a real showing of what hard work and determination can do."
The Bayern striker wishes his coach Vincent Kompany all the best after he was taken into hospital on Friday.
Kylian Mbappe finished second in what was a close race, whilst Lamine Yamal finished third. Rodri, after being named World Cup player of the tournament, finished fourth, whilst Lionel Messi came fifth.
23:43 CET - One final award to go...
23:32 CET - Alexia Putellas wins the women's Ballon d'Or.
The former Barcelona star, now with London City Lionesses, it is her third triumph after an incredible season that saw the Catalan giants win it all.
She thanks her former teammates and says it was a pleasure to play alongside them. She was the captain of that side and it was a great source of pride for her.
With this, along with her trophies, it cements her position as a great of the game.
Ewa Pajor finished second, whilst Khadija Shaw of Manchester City finished third.
23:22 CET - Here we go then, it's time for the Ballon d'Or, and it's more like an episode of X Factor, with plenty of audience members shouting out, mostly for Harry Kane. Will they get their wishes?
23:13 CET - As we await the final awards, the ceremony pays tribute to Kevin Keegan. He won the award twice and sadly passed away earlier this year.
Fittingly, the next award is the best striker of the year.
The winners are Charlyn Corral of Pachuca and Harry Kane of Bayern Munich.
As we mentioned earlier, Kane scored 73 goals across the season, whilst Corral netted 55 times for club and country.
This is something of a fairy-tale story for the Mexican, who at 35, is still going strong in her native land.
23:03 CET - After a not-so-quick break, we are now ready for the men's club of the year.
After winning back-to-back Champions League titles, as well as Ligue 1, PSG have won the accolade for 2026. With the team in action tonight, it is left to the injured Ousmane Dembele, who is on hand to pick up the award.
He thanks, as ever, the players, the manager and the fans. It's a second consecutive win in this category for the Parisians, and they will be hoping for more silverware throughout this campaign.
22:47 CET - Time for the clubs of the year - an interesting award for an individual night of celebration.
The women's team is first, and it goes to Barcelona, after, as mentioned before, their all-conquering season that included trophies domestically and in Europe.
Club president Joan Laporta receives the award - he says thank you for the award, describes the team as 'fantastic'.
22:41 CET - The Socrates Award is a step away from the proceedings to celebrate a footballer who has impacted off the field as much as on it.
This year's winner is Bukayo Saka of Arsenal and England, who breaks the Spanish monopoly.
He works with charities like Big Shoe to help disadvantaged children across Africa as well as other causes.
22:29 CET - Next up is the Lev Yashin Award, for the best goalkeepers in the world.
Peter Schmeichel is on stage to give the award, and first, he announces Cata Coll as the women's winner and Unai Simon as the men's winner.
Two more wins for Spain - it's a clean sweep for the nation so far.
22:19 CET - The first award of the night that is not going back to Camp Nou goes to Luis de la Fuente, who is named men's coach of the year.
Taking the Spanish national team to World Cup glory for the second time in their history, he now holds the European Championships and the World Cup.
He says that it is a real honour and he thanks the other nominees of the award. He added it is not an individual award; it's for the players too.
22:08 CET - Barcelona again - Pere Romeu is named women's coach of the year.
His side, as we mentioned earlier, swept Europe away last season, and he pays tribute to his players for their efforts.
They won 29 of their 30 games in LaLiga F last season - an incredible feat.
22:05 CET - We are rattling through them now, and we are onto the Coaches of the Year...
22:00 CET - Two in two for Barcelona as Vicky Lopez scoops the women's young talent of the year.
She tells the Palladium she is very proud to win the award, and thanks her teammates for pushing her to be better.
Like Lamine Yamal, she has won this for consecutive years, a true talent of the game.
21:55 CET - The winner of the men's young talent of the year goes to Lamine Yamal.
The Spanish teenager says this award should have gone to Pau Cubarsi, but it is he who has won for three straight years. Unlike some awards ceremonies, it does not mean he hasn't won the full award, but it is interesting, certainly, that he has picked this one up first.
21:50 CET - A performance from British musician Jorja Smith kicks things off, before we get on with the awards. The first prize to be given out is the young talent of the year.
21:45 CET - Mercifully, we are underway at the Ballon d'Or ceremony.
21:33 CET - With the Spaniard's arrival, our main contenders for every award are now inside the London Palladium - let's get this started. We are hearing that it will now begin at 21:45 CET.
21:27 CET - Contrary to earlier reports, Lamine Yamal is on the red carpet alongside his Barcelona teammates and his family. A World Cup victory emphasised his importance to both his nation and his club at just the tender age of 19.
He scored 16 goals in 28 LaLiga games as well as goals in the Champions League. He is now captaining Barcelona too, can he pick up the biggest individual prize in football tonight?
21:22 CET - Given the delay, we are expected to begin proceedings at 21:30 CET, so not much longer to wait.
It's not the only action tonight, as we said earlier. Galatasaray have beaten their eternal rivals Fenerbahce 2-1 thanks to a Victor Osimhen first-half brace, whilst PSG and Lyon are goalless at the break in 'Le Classique'.
Speaking of PSG, Ousmane Dembele may have won the suit of the night for this outfit.
21:12 CET - We are still waiting for Lamine Yamal, but Harry Kane is speaking to DAZN.
He said: "I am a little nervous; it's different from playing a big match."
"It's a special occasion; hopefully it will be a very special night if I do achieve it. It was my best season for sure, I won three trophies."
And we may not have to wait for Lamine Yamal anymore; it would seem he has snuck in through a back door.
21:00 CET - Now, it's time for Harry Kane on the red carpet, alongside Bayern teammates Luis Diaz, Dayot Upamecano, Michael Olise and Lennart Karl, as well as Pernille Harder.
The Englishman was in unbelievable form last season, scoring 73 goals for club and country.
Is that enough for him to win tonight?
20:58 CET - Despite the congestion on the roads of the British capital, Kylian Mbappe has arrived on the red carpet.
He is one of the front-runners, and he had an incredible year for Real Madrid as well as France. At the World Cup, he became the leading scorer in the history of the competition and netted 25 times in 31 games in LaLiga last season.
Real Madrid teammates Yan Diomande and Marc Cucurella are also with them, the first time the club have attended the awards since 2023 after boycotting over the perceived treatment of Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian has not come tonight, by the looks of it.
20:50 CET - Flashscore's Cesar Suarez is reporting that the ceremony has been delayed by 30 minutes due to traffic in London. Some things never change, do they?
20:43 CET - One award we haven't touched on tonight is the women's Coach of the Year. Barcelona boss Pere Romeu is certainly the front-runner, having won LaLiga F, UEFA Champions League, Copa de la Reina and the Supercopa. Hard to argue with that, really.
20:35 CET - A few players we know won't be at the awards tonight are those playing for PSG. The Parisians have eight of the top 30, after winning the Champions League for the second successive year as well as Ligue 1.
However, due to a fixture rearrangement, as the unrest in Paris continues, they are taking on Lyon tonight. Injured Ousmane Dembele, the 2025 winner of the Ballon d'Or, is expected to be in London tonight.
20:29 CET - Alexia Putellas is the favourite for the Ballon d'Or Feminin, and she has made her way down the red carpet, telling DAZN that she has not written a speech and that she, like everyone else, doesn't know who will win the award.
She will, at least, feel at home in her new city of London, where she now turns out for the London City Lionesses.
20:21 CET - The top three for the men's award seem pretty sure, but is there anyone who could break into it?
An inspired Lionel Messi, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, was in inspired form as he dragged his Argentina side to another World Cup final, but the MLS tax will hinder him, you'd feel.
Another one who will feel they could be within a shot is Michael Olise. He was Bundesliga player of the year and helped Harry Kane have his inspired season that could see him win the prize.
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is up for Coach of the Year, and he was speaking to DAZN about his nomination, saying: "Grateful. I am grateful to all of the coaches and players I have worked with. Especially to Aston Villa, I feel so comfortable, and we are improving."
20:12 CET - As more footballers and celebrities arrive at the Palladium, let's catch you up with the news so far.
- Both top 10s in the men's and women's Ballon d'Ors have been revealed, and there were no real surprises from either list. Scroll down to find them out.
- Earlier tonight, the official site published three articles about Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe all winning the award. Since then, they have stressed that every one of the 30 nominees had an article written.
20:02 CET - Umbrellas out in London; as is tradition, it is raining.
Even Sol Campbell has made an appearance.
19:57 CET - Earlier, we showed you that articles congratulating Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe as winners of the event tonight surfaced on the official Ballon d'Or website before being hastily deleted.
In the aftermath, Ballon d'Or released this statement, explaining: "Portraits of some of the Ballon d’Or nominees, prepared by ballondor.com, were inadvertently published online.
"These articles had been prepared for all the nominees in the event of a win. They in no way reveal the final three, which nobody knows at this stage."
The lady doth protest too much, maybe?
19:40 CET - Just one hour and 20 minutes to go until the awards begin, so let's take a look at who is up for men's young talent of the year.
Ayyoub Bouaddi, Pau Cubarsi and Yan Diomande all have a chance of winning tonight, given they all impressed on the biggest stage of them all over the summer at the World Cup. Two have earned huge moves to title-chasing clubs, whilst Cubarsi has been an ever-present with Barcelona, even finishing 12th in official Ballon d'Or voting tonight.
Bright futures lie ahead for the trio.
19:30 CET - As we mentioned earlier, London is hosting the 70th ceremony of the Ballon d'Or to honour its first-ever winner, Sir Stanley Matthews.
The Blackpool legend, who starred in the 1953 FA Cup final - the 'Matthews final' - made 54 appearances for England and is widely recognised as one of the most talented footballers of his era.
His family are in the capital to be part of tonight's ceremony.
19:21 CET - The red carpet is filling up, with Spain coach Luis de la Fuente already 'strutting' his stuff.
He will be one of the main contenders for Coach of the Year, having guided his national side to glory in the United States at the World Cup over the summer.
19:06 CET - As some start to arrive in London, talk has started about what would happen if there were a tie in the voting for the Ballon d'Or.
In Article 9, "the regulations prioritise the player who has garnered the most support for the top spot among the jury members," as stated on the official website.
"Furthermore, in cases of extreme parity or controversy, the final decision is delegated to France Football's leadership to ensure there is always a definitive winner."
The closest we've ever got to that was in 1996, when Matthaus Sammer beat Ronaldo Nazario in 1996 by one single point.
Could we see something similar tonight?
18:51 CET - With the online chaos seemingly getting the better of the organisers, we are expecting the stars to arrive on the red carpet in the next 10 minutes or so.
In the gambling world, we reported earlier that the odds were swinging towards Kylian Mbappe. Since then, however, Harry Kane has returned to the favourite spot.
Make of that what you will...
It was already a good weekend for the Frenchman, who brought up his century for Real Madrid against the old enemy, Barcelona.
18:40 CET - For those looking for spoilers, you will not be in luck on the official website.
Daily Mail journalist Nathan Salt has spotted that the site has published articles on our projected top three all winning tonight.
They have since been deleted.
Interesting...
18:30 CET - Then, we were down to 10. Here are your finalists for the men's Ballon d'Or 2026.
Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Michael Olise, Rodri and Fabian Ruiz.
Who will win the prize later tonight?
18:25 CET - Onto the teens, before we get to the final 10 - here are the standings!
19th: Joao Neves, 18th: Marc Cucurella, 17th: Vinicius Jr, 16th: Ferran Torres, 15th: Declan Rice, 14th: Vitinha, 13th: Achraf Hakimi, 12th: Pau Cubarsi, 11th: Jude Bellingham
A first nomination for Ferran Torres, the World Cup match-winner, and one according to the official live feed, won't be his last. He and his PSG teammates have other business to attend to tonight, as they take on Lyon in 'Le Classique' from 20:30 CET - a game you can follow here.
Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham just misses out on the top 10.
18:17 CET - Now, we move on to the men's rankings from 30th all the way down to 11th - let's start with 29th - 20th.
Joint 29th: Sadio Mane and William Saliba, 28th: Julian Quinones, 27th: Bruno Fernandes, 26th: Dayot Upamecano, 25th: Marquinhos, 24th: Luis Diaz, 23rd: Nuno Mendes, 22nd: Lautaro Martinez, 21st: Gabriel, 20th: Willian Pacho
Luis Diaz can certainly feel harshly done for in this year's event - the Colombian had a hand in 45 goals across last season for Bayern - only four players in Europe's top five leagues managed more.
17:41 CET - That leaves us with 10 finalists, with one of them winning the Ballon d'Or Feminin.
They are: Temwa Chawinga, Melchie Dumornay, Caroline Graham Hansen, Patri Guijarro, Pernille Harder, Ewa Pajor, Claudia Pina, Alexia Putellas, Alessia Russo and Khadija Shaw.
17:36 CET - Our last batch of rankings for the Ballon d'Or Feminin before we get down to the business end later - here are the placings from 19th - 11th.
19th: Tessa Wullaert, 18th: Barbra Banda, 17th: Esmee Brugts, 16th: Maria Leon, 15th: Cata Coll, 14th: Wendie Renard, 13th: Mariona Caldentey, 12th: Klara Buhl, 11th: Yui Hasegawa.
17:25 CET - They come thick and fast now, so let's round out the top 20...
27th: Rose Lavelle, 26th: Alex Greenwood, 25th: Caroline Weir, 24th: Kerstin Casparij 23rd: Momoko Tanikawa, 22nd: Manaka Matsukubo, 21st: Scarlett Camberos, 20th: Selma Bacha.
17:22 CET - As is custom for the Ballon d'Or, the drip-feed of rankings for the awards has begun, with the 30th-11th placed players in the Ballon d'Or Feminin now being revealed.
In joint 28th place is Dutch international Vivianne Miedema, Melvine Malard - currently with Chelsea - and Brazilian goalkeeper Lorena.
17:15 CET - As the final touches are made to the London Palladium ahead of the big night, let's look at what the bookmakers are saying.
A spokesperson for William Hill has noted that Kylian Mbappe is starting to overtake Harry Kane in the running for the award, despite Kane being the out-and-out favourite over recent days.
Could we be in for a shock tonight?
17:00 CET - After weeks of campaigning online and in person, it's time for the Ballon d'Or - football's answer to the Oscars.
An individual award in a team sport always feels slightly strange, but the lustre of this evening has built over the years, creating something that every player now wants to win.
Years of hegemony of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has ended, seeing Ousmane Dembele take the crown last year.
The three big contenders for 2026 are Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe. The trio have all had fantastic campaigns, leading their respective teams to success and have also performed well on the biggest stage of all - the World Cup.
But they are not the only nominees for the Ballon d'Or. There are 30 players who could theoretically win, including former winners Messi, Dembele and Rodri. Also on the list are the likes of Jude Bellingham, Erling Haaland and Vinicius Junior. He and his fellow Real Madrid nominees are expected in the British capital tonight - the first time they have attended since 2023, after the snub of the Brazilian for the award in 2024 and 2025.
In the women's Ballon d'Or, Barcelona star Alexia Putellas is expected to win for the third time in her career, ending Aitana Bonmati's three-year reign. Others who could usurp Putellas are former Barca teammate Ewa Pajor or Lyon's Melchie Dumornay.
Across the night, 10 awards will be given out, including the best coaches in the men's and women's game, the best teams and best players across certain positions.
You may be wondering why the awards ceremony is taking place in London rather than France, given that France Football and UEFA are the organisers of the ceremony.
In its 70th year, the Ballon d'Or is paying tribute to its inaugural winner, Sir Stanley Matthews, and therefore is taking place in his home nation. Since 2019, the ceremony has been held in Paris, and it is the first time London has hosted it. Over the years, four players from England have won the accolade - the last was Michael Owen in 2001. Kane, if he were to pick it up tonight, would become the fifth.
Before we really get going, here is everything you need to know about the Ballon d'Or.
