Ballon d’Or ceremony in London

The 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place this Monday evening in London, marking a significant event in football honors. The award, which recognizes the best male and female players in the world, has drawn widespread attention from fans and media worldwide.

New secrecy policy in place

A new policy implemented by France Football since the 2024 Ballon d’Or aims to keep the winner's identity secret until the ceremony. This change was introduced to prevent leaks, following concerns about information being revealed prematurely in previous years.

Only one person knew the winner

Vincent Garcia, editor-in-chief of France Football since 2023, stated in an interview with La Dépêche that he was the only person who knew the winner of the 70th Ballon d’Or from the end of the voting on September 28 until last weekend. For organizational reasons, he has now shared the identity with fewer than five people in the last 72 hours.

Secure platform to protect results

To prevent leaks, the results are now collected on a secure platform and kept in a sealed envelope until the ceremony. This approach was inspired by other award ceremonies, such as the César awards, where the winner is not aware of their victory until the event.

Ceremony details and broadcast

The ceremony will be broadcast by L’Equipe and presented by Kate Scott and Thierry Henry, with live coverage on 20 Minutes. Vincent Garcia described the competition for the 70th Ballon d’Or as highly contested, with many strong contenders in both men’s and women’s categories.

Contenders for the award

Among the men’s contenders are Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane, and Kylian Mbappé, who is aiming to win his first Ballon d’Or. The race is described as particularly open, with no clear favorite emerging in either the men’s or women’s categories.