HARRY KANE LEADS BALLON D’OR BETTING BEFORE MONDAY’S AWARD

Harry Kane is the betting favourite for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, which organisers will award in London on Monday, 26 October. The ceremony will take place in London for the first time in the award’s history. Bookmakers quoted odds of 4/11 for the England captain ahead of the announcement. Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal are also among the leading contenders, with the betting account naming each as Kane’s closest challenger.

Yamal was priced at 2/1 in the days before the ceremony, while Mbappe’s odds had stood at 16/1 a few days earlier. Kane scored six goals as England reached the World Cup semi-finals, and Yamal helped Spain win the tournament. Their clubs also won domestic league titles: Bayern Munich took the Bundesliga and Barcelona won La Liga. The Ballon d’Or criteria exclude performances from the opening months of the 2026/27 season. Voters give the most weight to “individual performances, decisive and impressive character”, followed by team results and then class and fair play.

The winner will come from a list of 30 nominees. Ousmane Dembele, Rodri and eight-time winner Lionel Messi are former recipients among those in contention. Michael Olise and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are also named as candidates. If Kane wins, he will become the first Englishman to receive the award in 25 years.