2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony held in London for first time
The gist
The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony took place at London's Palladium, the first outside France in 70 years.
Pre-written articles naming three players as winner were pulled.
How it unfolded
- 1956Stanley Matthews of England won the inaugural Ballon d'Or; the 2026 move to London is described as a tribute to him.
- 2018The women's Ballon d'Or began, with Ada Hegerberg named the inaugural winner.
- 2019The ceremony has been held at Paris' Theatre du Chatelet since 2019.