Why is the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony delayed?

The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony in London was set for a highly anticipated night, but a last-minute issue disrupted the schedule. The delay has left fans waiting for the awards to begin.

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By Ariadna Pinheiro

October 26, 2026 04:52PM EDT

**© Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images**A general view of the Ballon D'Or trophy at the 67th Ballon D'Or Ceremony

The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony was supposed to begin at 4 PM ET on Monday, October 26, but the start was pushed back by 45 minutes. The highly anticipated event is taking place at the London Palladium for the first time.

The reason is heavy traffic and congestion around central London, which has slowed the arrival of guests and disrupted the red carpet. Organizers decided to move the start time to give the attendees more time to reach the venue.

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The timing has added another twist to an already eventful night, with Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe among the leading contenders for the men’s award. One of them will join the long list of winners.

What time will the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony really start?

The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled to start at 4:45 PM ET, 45 minutes later than originally planned. The congestion has delayed guests and disrupted the red carpet, where several stars have already made appearances.

Lionel Messi is awarded with his seventh Ballon D’Or award (Source: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)

Organizers pushed the start time back to allow nominees and other guests more time to reach the venue in central London. The event is being hosted by Kate Scott and Thierry Henry, with the evening expected to feature awards across several categories, including the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or.

This year, Ronaldo Nazario will present the Ballon d’Or award. He also holds the record as the youngest player to win it, at 21 years old. If Lamine Yamal emerges victorious, he would move into second place on that list.

The ceremony is being held at the London Palladium, marking the first time in the Ballon d’Or’s 70-year history that the event has taken place in London rather than Paris, to pay tribute to Sir Stanley Matthews, the first-ever winner in 1956.

Key takeaways

Pushed back by 45 minutes, the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony was delayed past 4 PM ET.
Heavy traffic and congestion around central London delayed guests and disrupted the red carpet.
Ronaldo Nazario will present the award, holding the record as the youngest-ever winner.

Ariadna Pinheiro

Ariadna is a multisport journalist specialized in delivering key, high-value information across competitions, including tournament formats, rules, lineups and injury updates, while also producing evergreen content. Her career in journalism began in 2021 at Indie Emergente, a digital music magazine, where she honed her skills in writing and reporting. In 2023, she expanded her expertise by contributing to Spoiler Latinoamerica, creating general culture content, before joining Spoiler US in 2024 to focus on entertainment coverage. With almost six years of experience across different media outlets, Ariadna has developed strong expertise at the intersection of sports and entertainment, covering live events such as Super Bowls, FIFA World Cup opening and closing ceremonies, Olympic Games and UEFA Champions League finals, bringing depth, accuracy and real-time insight to her reporting.

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