London hosts Ballon d'Or 70th anniversary tonight: first ceremony outside France at the Palladium, Henry hosts

The 70th Ballon d'Or ceremony takes place tonight at the London Palladium, honouring the best male and female footballers of the 2025–26 season. It is the first time in the award's 70-year history that the ceremony has been held outside France, which makes tonight's edition especially notable.

A tribute to the first winner

Choosing London pays tribute to Sir Stanley Matthews, the England legend who won the inaugural Ballon d'Or in 1956. The award was created by France Football magazine and has been co-organised with UEFA since 2024. Tonight's ceremony is hosted by Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry alongside presenter Kate Scott.

Tonight's schedule and what to watch

The red carpet runs from 6 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. London time, the main ceremony from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., followed by the winners' press conference from 10:30 p.m.; for Toronto viewers the ceremony starts at 4 p.m. ET. UK viewers can watch live for free on DAZN (an account is required), and the official Ballon d'Or website carries coverage through the evening.

Alongside the men's and women's Ballon d'Or, awards will be handed out for the best young players, goalkeepers, coaches, clubs and strikers. The reigning winner is Ousmane Dembélé — tonight's question is who takes his crown.