The Ballon d’Or is crossing the Channel. France Football has confirmed London will host the 2026 ceremony on October 26 — the first time the English capital has ever staged the event in its 70-year history.
The switch is a tribute to Sir Stanley Matthews, the 1956 inaugural winner and a London icon.
Paris had been home to the ceremony since 2019, before that Zurich hosted it during the award’s short-lived FIFA merger between 2010 and 2015.
UEFA has co-organized the event since 2024. PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé and Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmatí are the titles to defend.
