From winners’ articles appearing online hours early to alarming scenes of bricks being hurled outside the venue, the Ballon d’Or’s first ever edition in London was far from smooth sailing.
The ceremony, due to begin at 8pm on Monday 26 October, eventually got under way 45 minutes late after heavy traffic and crowds at the entrance held up guests – not helped by nearby Oxford Street being made traffic-free on the same day.
Outside the venue, hundreds of fans hoping to see the red carpet broke through barriers – prompting the Metropolitan Police to issue a dispersal order and make two arrests.
Inside, the near two-and-a-half-hour show was repeatedly interrupted by a rowdy audience. And the problems didn’t end there.
Why London?
London was chosen in tribute to Stanley Matthews, the award’s first winner seven decades ago, with the event moving from its usual home in Paris to the London Palladium. The ceremony has been co-organised by UEFA and Groupe Amaury, owner of France Football and L’Équipe, since 2024.
Traffic and a 45-minute delay
The venue sits close to Oxford Street, which was made traffic-free on the same day. Combined with large crowds at the entrance, this delayed significant numbers of guests and pushed the start back by 45 minutes. Organisers initially announced a 30-minute delay without giving a reason, before broadcaster DAZN announced a further 15 minutes, citing traffic in the capital.
Crowd control
Hundreds gathered outside the Palladium to see players on the red carpet. BBC Sport reported seeing the metal fencing and barricades scaled, broken and pulled down, with several people removed by security after getting through.
According to the Metropolitan Police, a Section 35 dispersal order was put in place shortly before 8pm, officers reported bricks and scaffolding clips being thrown as they cleared the crowd, and two arrests were made.
Inside the venue
The ceremony ran to almost two and a half hours, with hosts Kate Scott and Thierry Henry having to pause proceedings several times as audience members shouted players’ names, and booing heard during commercial breaks.
Premature announcements
Hours before the ceremony, the official Ballon d’Or website published an article naming Harry Kane as the men’s winner, and similar articles were then found for other favourites including Kylian Mbappé and Alexia Putellas.
A spokesperson said the articles had been “inadvertently published online”, adding that they had been prepared for every nominee and did not reflect the final results. The official social media accounts also merged two women’s nominees’ names, congratulating “Alexia Bonmati”, before deleting the post.
Press conference row
After Harry Kane and Alexia Putellas were named winners, journalists were able to question Alexia Putellas. Only men were picked to ask Harry Kane questions, with several female journalists reportedly overlooked, which also caused some controversy. The Ballon d’Or team has since apologised.
Organisers have said the move to London is temporary, pointing to a return to Paris for 2027.