The voting rules that could determine the winner of the 2026 Ballon d’Or have been revealed ahead of Monday’s ceremony, with Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal among the leading contenders for the prestigious award.

The three players are expected to be firmly in contention when football’s biggest individual honour is presented at the London Palladium, which will host the ceremony outside Paris for the first time.

Kane Favourite To Win The 2026 Ballon d’Or

According to SPORTbible, Kane remains the bookmakers’ favourite, although Mbappe has emerged as a serious challenger following a dramatic shift in betting odds.

The Real Madrid forward’s chances have improved considerably in recent days, with his impressive goalscoring form and the Spanish club’s reported decision to end their boycott of the ceremony contributing to renewed interest in his candidacy.

However, with the competition expected to be closely contested, the Ballon d’Or’s tie-break regulations could prove decisive if two or more players finish with identical points.

Under the voting system, 100 specialist journalists, representing the top 100 nations in the FIFA rankings, select their 10 best players from a shortlist of 30 nominees.

Each journalist awards points based on the position in which a player is ranked.

The first-choice player receives 15 points, while the remaining nine selections earn 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 points respectively.

The player with the highest overall points total is crowned the winner.

Who Wins If Two Players Are Tied On Points?

However, if two players finish level on points, the award will go to the individual who receives the greater number of first-place votes.

Should they remain tied, the organisers will compare their second-place votes, followed by third-place votes and subsequent positions until a winner emerges.

The voting process takes into consideration individual performances, decisive contributions, team achievements and trophies, as well as sportsmanship.

Performances between August 3, 2025, and July 19, 2026, form the evaluation period for this year’s award.

Meanwhile, Kane’s prospects received another boost after the Bayern Munich striker won the 100 MARCA award ahead of Yamal.

The England captain accumulated 3,962 points in the journalists’ vote, narrowly beating the Barcelona youngster, who finished with 3,937.

Mbappe finished last season with 58 goals across all competitions, including 10 at the World Cup, while Kane registered 73 goals for club and country.

With voting already completed, attention now turns to Monday’s (today) announcement, when the identity of the 2026 Ballon d’Or winner will finally be revealed.