The 2026 Ballon d’Or will be presented in London on Monday, 26 October. It is the 70th edition of football’s best-known individual award, and searches for it rose sharply in Nigeria this week, according to Google Trends. Organiser France Football announced the shortlists on 8 September, and Africanews reported that this is the first time the ceremony will be held outside France.

How the 2026 Ballon d’Or voting works

The system is simple once you see it laid out. For the men’s award, one journalist from each of the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings votes, Vanguard reported. For the women’s award, the jury comes from the top 50 nations. The rankings that count are those in force when the nominees were announced.

Each juror picks 10 players from the 30-man shortlist and ranks them. First place earns 15 points, then 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1. The player with the most points wins. If two players tie, the one with more first-place votes wins, and after that, second-place votes count, and so on. The editor-in-chief of France Football settles any other dispute.

What period the voters judge

Since 2022, the award has covered a football season rather than a calendar year. Voters judge performances from August of one year to July of the next, so the 2026 Ballon d’Or rewards the 2025-26 season, including the 2026 World Cup in North America. France Football also runs the awards in partnership with UEFA, a change introduced in 2024.

Officially, jurors are asked to weigh individual and team performances during the season, a player’s talent and class, and fair play. In practice, big trophies such as the Champions League and the World Cup tend to sway the vote. That is why a strong tournament can lift a player who had a quieter club season, and the reverse.

Who leads the race?

No official result will be known until the ceremony. However, a poll by the French sports daily L’Équipe put Kylian Mbappé clearly in front, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Harry Kane completing the top three, beIN SPORTS reported. The biggest surprise was Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, who finished outside the top three in that poll.

Readers should treat the poll with care. beIN noted that it is a snapshot of opinion and does not represent the official vote. Moreover, the poll’s method and vote counts were not published.

Paris Saint-Germain’s players are also in the conversation. Ousmane Dembélé told France Football that he believes “this trophy will remain in the hands of a Paris Saint-Germain player”, according to Africanews. Mbappé, for his part, has said he remains optimistic about his chances this year.

Africa’s nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or

Two African players made the men’s shortlist of 30, according to Africanews:

• Achraf Hakimi (Morocco, Paris Saint-Germain), nominated for a second year in a row.
• Sadio Mané (Senegal), who now plays in Saudi Arabia.

Africa also has nominees in other categories. Barbra Banda of Zambia and Temwa Chawinga of Malawi are in the women’s race. Yan Diomandé of Ivory Coast, 19, and Ibrahim Maza of Algeria, 20, are up for the Kopa Trophy for the best young player. Goalkeepers Yassine Bounou (Morocco), Édouard Mendy (Senegal) and Vozinha (Cape Verde) are nominated for the goalkeeper award.

Africa’s history with the award

Only one African player has won the men’s Ballon d’Or. Liberia’s George Weah, then at AC Milan, took the prize in 1995, the first year non-European players were eligible. Since then, African stars such as Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Touré, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané have reached the top ten without winning. Mané finished second in 2022, the closest an African has come in recent years.

The continent has had more success in other categories. African players have featured strongly in the goalkeeper award in recent years, with Yassine Bounou and Édouard Mendy both among past contenders. A win for either this year, or for Banda or Chawinga in the women’s race, would add to that record.

Why no Nigerian made the list

No Nigerian player appears on any of the 2026 Ballon d’Or shortlists reported by Africanews. That is a change from 2023, when Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala were both nominated. Several factors play a part: injuries, club form and the Super Eagles’ failure to reach the 2026 World Cup, which removed a major stage for Nigerian players this year.

The national team’s recent form has also been mixed. The Super Eagles lost 3-0 in Guinea-Bissau in AFCON qualifying last month before a 3-3 friendly draw in Russia, as we reported in Super Eagles Draw 3-3 After Fighting Back From 3-1 Down. For a look at how Nigerians abroad are performing at club level, see our weekly round-up of Nigerian players abroad.

How to follow the ceremony

The ceremony takes place on the evening of 26 October. The United Kingdom’s clocks go back on Sunday, 25 October, so on the night London will be one hour behind Nigeria. Check your broadcaster’s listings for the exact start time in Nigerian time.

Beyond the main prize, watch for the Kopa Trophy, the goalkeeper award and the women’s Ballon d’Or. The night also includes the Gerd Müller Trophy for the season’s top scorer, coaching awards and a club of the year prize, so several teams and players will leave London with silverware. African winners in any of those categories would be a boost for the continent’s game. The Gazette will report the 2026 Ballon d’Or results on the night, with a focus on how African and Nigerian players fared across every category.