Ballon d'Or tie-break rule explained with Kylian Mbappe threatening Harry Kane-Lamine Yamal top two

We are just hours away from finding out the 2026 Ballon d'Or winner as favourites Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal do battle for the biggest individual prize in football.

For the first time, the Ballon d'Or ceremony will be held outside of Paris on Monday night, with the London Palladium playing host to one of the most anticipated nights in the football calendar.

As mentioned on the Ballon d'Or website, a jury of 100 specialised journalists - one from each of the top 100 FIFA-ranked nations - have voted for their top 10 selections from a 30-player shortlist.

READ MORE: Real Madrid's feelings on Kylian Mbappe's chances of winning Ballon d'Or revealed

Players are judged over the entirety of last season from August 3 2025 until July 19 2026, with the criteria including individual performances, decisive and impressive character, collective performances and titles won, as well as class and fair play.

The ten players named are awarded 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 points respectively. Of course, the Ballon d'Or is then awarded to the player with the highest total number of points.

What happens if there is a tie for the Ballon d'Or?

In the event of a tie, players are separated by the number of first-place mentions. If the tie continues, it is then decided by the number of second-place mentions, then third-place mentions, and so on.

Harry Kane is currently the bookies' favourite to win, but Kylian Mbappe's odds have been slashed from 14/1 to 2/1 in recent days after it emerged that Real Madrid will end its boycott of the awards.

A report from Free Bets suggests Mbappe has attracted almost as many bets as Kane over the past seven days.

Kylian Mbappe is one of the favourites to take home the Ballon d'Or on Monday night. Image credit: Getty

Lamine Yamal, meanwhile, has seen his odds drift over the past 48 hours, with three of the 15 bookmakers tracked lengthening their prices, including Paddy Power, who have moved from 9/4 to 5/1.

Kane being crowned winner of the ‘100 MARCA’ award just days before the Ballon d'Or ceremony is potentially one of the reasons behind the odds change.

The award is decided by a jury of international journalists, and Kane won after finishing on 3,962 points, which was just 25 more than Yamal (3,937).

Kylian Mbappe has overtaken Lamine Yamal in the market for Ballon d'Or

As mentioned above, Kane is the bookies' favourite to take home the Ballon d'Or at 4/7.

Yamal had been the second-favourite for weeks, but Mbappe's odds shortened from 12/1 to just 11/4 over the weekend, according to Oddschecker, after his brace against Barcelona.

Mbappe scored 58 goals in all competitions last season, including 10 at the World Cup. Kane, meanwhile, finished the campaign with 73 goals for club and country.