All eyes will turn to London on Monday evening when the 2026 Ballon d'Or winner will be announced.
Paris Saint-Germain attacker Ousmanne Dembele took the honours last year with the Frenchman finishing ahead of Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, who was second, and third-placed Vitinha, also of Uefa Champions League winners PSG.
The women's prize was claimed by Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati for the third year running, with other award winners including Yamal in the men's under-21 section and England's Sarina Wiegman as best women's coach.
Below, we give our predictions about who will be walking away from the 2026 ceremony at the London Palladium with a prize.
Ballon d’Or (Best men's player)
1) Harry Kane (Bayern Munich and England): The stage is surely set for the Three Lions captain to lift the prize on home turf. And what better timing for Kane to become the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001. He smashed a remarkable 61 goals in 51 games last season as the 33-year-old striker spearheaded Bayern Munich to the domestic double, while also scoring six times at the Fifa World Cup, helping England finish in third place.
2) Lamine Yamal (Barcelona and Spain): Could be runner-up for the second year running is only a matter of timer of time before Yamal takes first prize. The 19-year-old provided 24 goals and 18 assists in 45 Barca matches as the Catalan side retained the La Liga title. Helped Spain become world champions but a pre-tournament injury seemed to hinder his impact as he registered only one goal and one assist in North America.
3) Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid and France): For Los Blancos, the 27-year-old striker ended last season with 42 goals in 44 appearances, securing the Spanish Golden Boot award for a second consecutive campaign. For Les Bleus, Mbappe also won the World Cup Golden Boot award with 10 goals and became the all-time tournament top-scorer with 22 goals, overtaking Lionel Messi. But neither Real nor France won a trophy, most likely scuppering his Ballon d'Or chances.
Ballon d’Or Feminin (Best women’s player)
1) Alexia Putellas (Barcelona/London City Lionesses and Spain): In what was her final season in Spain before moving to London, two-time Ballon d’Or winner Putellas helped Barcelona power to a stunning quadruple with 26 goals and 15 assists. Spain also retained the Uefa Nations League title last October, while the 32-year-old also scored twice as La Roja hammered England 4-0 to seal World Cup qualification. Ballon d’Or hat-trick should be safely in the bag.
2) Ewa Pajor (Barcelona and Poland): Pajor should seal a Barca one-two after scoring 33 goals and assisting a further seven to her club's quadruple cause. The 29-year-old top-scored in the Champions League with 11, while her 16 Liga F goals was only bettered by teammate Claudia Pina's 21. Pajor also ended her miserable run of five Champions League final defeats in a row as she scored twice in the 4-0 final win over OL Lyonnes.
3) Khadija Shaw (Manchester City and Jamaica): A stunning season in front of goal for City as her 21 goals in 22 games helped her club secure the league and FA Cup double. The 29-year-old dominated the individual awards, winning a third consecutive Women’s Super League Golden Boot as well as the PFA and FWA Player of the Year awards. Shaw also scored nine goals in this year’s Concacaf Women’s Championship qualification, helping her country reach the finals.
Kopa Trophy (Best men's under-21)
1) Lamine Yamal (Barcelona and Spain): For second year running, winger Yamal might have to make do with the consolation of winning the best young player prize.
2) Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona and Spain): A rock at centre-back for club and country. The 19-year-old played 48 games across all competitions as Barca claimed another La Liga title, then played every minute of every match as Spain lifted the World Cup, earning the tournament's best young player award.
3) Warren Zaire-Emery (PSG and France): The 20-year-old midfielder played a key role in PSG retaining their Champions League crown, while making 54 appearances across all competitions as the French side secured four trophies. Only a World Cup spent warming the bench and playing just 109 minutes can take a little shine off an impressive campaign.
Kopa Trophy (Best women's under-21)
1) Vicky Lopez (Barcelona and Spain): The winner of last year's inaugural award for women is favourite to triumph again this time round. The 20-year-old attacker contributed 17 goals and 15 assists in 53 matches as Barca lifted four trophies. She earned her first senior title when Spain won the Nations League.
2) Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnes and United States): An excellent first season in France, after moving from Dutch side Ajax, saw the 19-year-old contribute six goals and 10 assists in 48 appearances playing in midfield as OL Lyonnes won the treble and reached the Champions League final.
3) Clara Serrajordi (Barcelona and Spain): Has established herself in the Barca midfield at the age of just 18, making 48 appearances in the quadruple-winning campaign, and already has four senior Spanish caps.
Yashin Trophy (Best men's goalkeeper)
1) David Raya (Arsenal and Spain): A magnificent season for Arsenal which saw him win a third consecutive Golden Glove for keeping 19 clean sheets in 37 Premier League games, helping the Gunners end their title drought. Also produced nine clean sheets in 14 Champions League games as Arsenal finished runners-up to PSG. The 31-year-old just beats Spanish teammate Simon for the top prize.
2) Unai Simon (Athletic Club and Spain): Preferred between the sticks by Spain manager Luis de la Fuente ahead of Raya, Simon proved it was a good call by winning the World Cup Golden Glove award after keeping seven clean sheets and conceding just one goal in eight matches, as La Roja beat Argentina in the final. The 29-year-old also started 37 out of 38 La Liga games for his club, keeping six clean sheets.
3) Joan Garcia (Barcelona and Spain): Completes a Spanish clean sweep of the top three after a stellar season for Barca, where he kept 15 clean sheets in 30 La Liga appearances, conceding only 21. The 25-year-old earned the Zamora Trophy for having the lowest goals-to-games ratio in the Spanish top-flight in what was his first season at the club following his move from Espanyol.
Best women's goalkeeper
1) Cata Coll (Barcelona and Spain) Barcelona and Spain's domination of the women's awards goes on. Coll kept 23 clean sheets in 39 matches for club and country, with the 25-year-old conceding just 18 goals.
2) Ayaka Yamashita (Manchester City and Japan): Earned the domestic double with City, keeping eight clean sheets across 20 matches. The 31-year-old was also named best goalkeeperthe Asian Cup, which Japan won after beating Australia in the finalinal.
3) Lorena (Kansas City Current and Brazil): Enjoyed a remarkable debut season in the NWSL which saw her set a league record for not conceding a goal in 900 minutes. The 29-year-old set another league record by keeping 14 clean sheets in 24 games, helping Kansas win the NWSL Shield.
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Best men's coach
1) Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain): The Spaniard has guided PSG to a second consecutive Champions League crown and five trophies in all and will retain his coach of the year crown. PSG look on course to become only the fourth club to win three or more consecutive European Cups.
2) Luis de la Fuente (Spain): Spain produced a devastating performance on the way to lifting the World Cup for a second time, with De la Fuente's side winning seven out of eight matches, drawing the other. Spain are now a record 42 games unbeaten and are the reigning European and world champions.
3) Vincent Kompany (Bayern Munich): Belgian led Bayern to a domestic double and the Champions League semi-finals. Followed that up by winning the German Super Cup in August.
Best women's coach
1) Pere Romeu (Barcelona): The 32-year-old Spaniard masterminded Barca's domination of the women's game in Europe. Lost just once across all competitions last season.
2) Jonatan Giraldez (OL Lyonnes): Another Spaniard who achieved great things, leading Lyon to the Premiere Ligue title without losing a single game. But were swept aside in the Champions League final by Barca.
3) Andree Jeglertz (Manchester City): Swede's first season in charge saw City win their first WSL title in a decade while also thrashing Brighton in the FA Cup final.