{"id":1206,"date":"2026-05-29T12:10:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T09:10:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ballon-dor-to-land-in-london-on-oct-26-for-70th-anniversary\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T12:10:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T09:10:25","slug":"ballon-dor-to-land-in-london-on-oct-26-for-70th-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ballon-dor-to-land-in-london-on-oct-26-for-70th-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"Ballon d\u2019Or to Land in London on Oct 26 for 70th Anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Ballon d\u2019Or awards ceremony will take place in London for the first time this year, with organisers confirming the event is scheduled for October 26. The prestigious prize is also set to mark its 70th anniversary.<\/p>\n<p>Established by France Football magazine in 1956, the Ballon d\u2019Or is widely viewed as the most sought-after individual honour in world football. The edition in 2026 will therefore carry a major milestone as it celebrates seven decades of recognising top performers.<\/p>\n<h3>Quick facts<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The 70th Ballon d\u2019Or ceremony is set for London on October 26.<\/li>\n<li>The award was created by France Football in 1956.<\/li>\n<li>The move to London is intended to honour England great Stanley Matthews.<\/li>\n<li>The men\u2019s and women\u2019s winners in 2025 were Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 and Aitana Bonmat\u00ed.<\/li>\n<li>The specific venue is still to be announced, despite the ceremony traditionally being held in Paris.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The choice to host the 70th edition in London is a tribute to England icon Stanley Matthews, who was the award\u2019s first winner more than seven decades ago, UEFA said. The European governing body added that the decision reflects the prize\u2019s continuing growth and international reach.<\/p>\n<p>UEFA added that staging the ceremony in the capital of England and the wider United Kingdom underlines the Ballon d\u2019Or\u2019s standing as a globally prestigious brand. It stressed the event\u2019s expansion while reinforcing the award\u2019s position on the world stage.<\/p>\n<p>While the ceremony has typically been held in Paris, the exact location in London has not yet been revealed. Organisers are expected to confirm the venue closer to the date.<\/p>\n<p>In the most recent edition, Paris Saint-Germain winger Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 was named the men\u2019s winner, while Barcelona\u2019s Aitana Bonmat\u00ed took the women\u2019s prize in 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Ballon d\u2019Or awards ceremony will take place in London for the first time this year, with organisers confirming the event is scheduled for October 26. The prestigious prize is also set to mark its 70th anniversary. Established by France Football magazine in 1956, the Ballon d\u2019Or is widely viewed as the most sought-after individual [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Ballon d\u2019Or 2026 in London on Oct 26: 70th Anniversary","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Ballon d\u2019Or heads to London on Oct 26 for its 70th anniversary\u2014France Football\u2019s iconic award returns with football\u2019s biggest indi","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ballon d\u2019Or 2026 in London on Oct 26: 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