London Prepares to Announce the 2026 Ballon d'Or Winner

The British capital, London, will host the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony on Monday evening, where the biggest stars of football will compete.

Frenchman Kylian Mbappé, the Real Madrid star, Spaniard Lamine Yamal, the Barcelona winger, and Englishman Harry Kane, the Bayern Munich striker, are among the top contenders to win the Ballon d'Or.

For the fifth time in the award's history, the winner will be determined based on the football season's results instead of the calendar year. The period for considering players' achievements will extend from August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026, to include the most prominent competitions and events of the season.

Today's ceremony marks the 70th edition of the annual competition organized by France Football magazine to honor the world's best football players for the 2025-2026 season.

List of Ballon d'Or Winners

1956: Stanley Matthews – England

1957: Alfredo Di Stéfano – Spain

1958: Raymond Kopa – France

1959: Alfredo Di Stéfano – Spain

1960: Luis Suárez – Spain

1961: Omar Sívori – Italy

1962: Josef Masopust – Czechoslovakia

1963: Lev Yashin – Soviet Union

1964: Denis Law – Scotland

1965: Eusébio – Portugal

1966: Bobby Charlton – England

1967: Flórián Albert – Hungary

1968: George Best – Northern Ireland

1969: Gianni Rivera – Italy

1970: Gerd Müller – Germany

1971: Johan Cruyff – Netherlands

1972: Franz Beckenbauer – Germany

1973: Johan Cruyff – Netherlands

1974: Johan Cruyff – Netherlands

1975: Oleh Blokhin – Soviet Union

1976: Franz Beckenbauer – Germany

1977: Allan Simonsen – Denmark

1978: Kevin Keegan – England

1979: Kevin Keegan – England

1980: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge – Germany

1981: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge – Germany

1982: Paolo Rossi – Italy

1983: Michel Platini – France

1984: Michel Platini – France

1985: Michel Platini – France

1986: Igor Belanov – Soviet Union

1987: Ruud Gullit – Netherlands

1988: Marco van Basten – Netherlands

1989: Marco van Basten – Netherlands

1990: Lothar Matthäus – Germany

1991: Jean-Pierre Papin – France

1992: Marco van Basten – Netherlands

1993: Roberto Baggio – Italy

1994: Hristo Stoichkov – Bulgaria

1995: George Weah – Liberia

1996: Matthias Sammer – Germany

1997: Ronaldo – Brazil

1998: Zinedine Zidane – France

1999: Rivaldo – Brazil

2000: Luís Figo – Portugal

2001: Michael Owen – England

2002: Ronaldo – Brazil

2003: Pavel Nedvěd – Czech Republic

2004: Andriy Shevchenko – Ukraine

2005: Ronaldinho – Brazil

2006: Fabio Cannavaro – Italy

2007: Kaká – Brazil

2008: Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal

2009: Lionel Messi – Argentina

2010: Lionel Messi – Argentina

2011: Lionel Messi – Argentina

2012: Lionel Messi – Argentina

2013: Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal

2014: Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal

2015: Lionel Messi – Argentina

2016: Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal

2017: Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal

2018: Luka Modrić – Croatia

2019: Lionel Messi – Argentina

2020: Award not given

2021: Lionel Messi – Argentina

2022: Karim Benzema – France

2023: Lionel Messi – Argentina

2024: Rodri – Spain

2025: Ousmane Dembélé – France