The Ballon d’Or will be awarded in London on Monday, and many experts consider Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane the favorite, although Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal are also among the leading contenders.
In recent weeks and months, Kane has received support from various officials at Bayern as well as from his teammates at club and international level. Numerous experts from Germany and abroad also consider him the best player of the 2025–26 season. Until the ceremony, however, it remains uncertain whether the Englishman will take home the trophy. No Bayern player has won the award since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
Bayern Sends a Large Delegation to London
Bayern are traveling to London without sporting director Max Eberl, who has come down with a cold. The club is still sending a large delegation. According to a report in the Spanish newspaper Marca, the record champions are highly confident that Kane will win the Ballon d’Or.
CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen and President Herbert Hainer are part of the Bayern contingent that has departed for London. Dayot Upamecano, Michael Olise, Lennart Karl, Pernille Harder, and Klara Bühl, all of whom are nominated in various categories, are also traveling with the team.
Kane’s biggest rivals, Yamal and Mbappé, will also attend the ceremony. The event begins at 7 p.m. local time, and the streaming service DAZN will broadcast it live.
Why a Kane Win Would Matter
A Ballon d’Or victory for Kane would send an important message. It would mark Bayern’s first title of this kind since 1981, and it would confirm that the award for the world’s best player can be won in the Bundesliga. That would bring the league more international attention and prestige, and it would carry symbolic significance well beyond Munich.