When is the 2026 Ballon d’Or, who are the favourites, and how can you watch it?

The Ballon d’Or, football’s most prestigious individual honour, will be awarded on Monday, with Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe among the frontrunners in the men’s category and Spain’s Alexia Putellas the favourite to pick the women’s award for the third time.Given to the best player of the 2025-26 season, the upcoming ceremony will mark the award’s 70th edition, and the first time it is held outside France.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Yamal, Mbappe in El Clasico spotlight as 40 cameras dedicated to coveragelist 2 of 3What are the top five El Clasico clashes between Barcelona and Real Madrid?list 3 of 3‘A match like no other’: El Clasico awaits a Yamal vs Mbappe showdownend of listAhead of Monday’s official gala, here’s everything to know about the award, its history and more:What is the Ballon d’Or?The Ballon d’Or is the highest individual award given to a footballer, based on his or her performance in the previous season.The award was created in 1956 by two sports writers, Gabriel Hanot and Jacques Ferran, from France Football, a French magazine.Originally, the men’s award was limited to European players, but in 1995 it was expanded to include all play...