According to a report by Daily Post on Friday October 23, 2026, Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi and five other players are set to miss the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony in London because of a scheduling clash with the club’s Ligue 1 fixture against Lyon.

According to Foot Mercato, PSG’s match against Lyon has been rescheduled for Monday, October 26, the same day as the prestigious awards ceremony. The fixture could force several nominated players to prioritise their club commitments over attending the event.

Hakimi, Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Willian Pacho and João Neves are among the PSG players reportedly affected. Their potential absence would be a blow to the club’s representation at a ceremony celebrating football’s outstanding individual performers.

However, the report’s list also names Ferran Torres, who is associated with Barcelona rather than PSG, so that detail requires clarification.

Meanwhile, Ousmane Dembele is still expected to attend the ceremony despite being injured and ruled out of the Lyon match. The French forward won the 2025 Ballon d'Or ahead of Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal and is expected to be present as the reigning holder of the award.

The scheduling conflict highlights the challenges created by football’s increasingly crowded calendar, with domestic fixtures sometimes clashing with major events outside regular competition.

A similar situation reportedly affected PSG last year, when some of their nominated players missed the ceremony because of a domestic league commitment.