The winner of the 2026 Ballon d’Or will be announced at the London Palladium on Monday, with the ceremony starting at 19:00 GMT.

The event has moved outside France for the first time, with attention focused on the contest to succeed Ousmane Dembele as the world’s best player.

Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane are the three leading contenders for the award. Kane could become the first Englishman to win the prize while collecting it on home soil.

However, France Football, which organises the ceremony, says the decision to stage the event in London is not connected to the Bayern Munich striker’s prospects of winning.

Instead, the magazine says the move is intended to honour Stanley Matthews, the first recipient of the Ballon d’Or, whose achievement is being marked 70 years on.

Matthews was playing for Blackpool when he won the award in 1956. At the time, the Ballon d’Or recognised the best player in European football.

France Football also indicated that future ceremonies could take place in other countries as the award’s global profile continues to grow.

“The international dimension acquired by this prestigious trophy makes it possible to consider that the experience could be repeated elsewhere than in France,” it said.