"El Clásico and then Ballon d'Or ceremony? Let's go for it." Kylian Mbappé said that after Real Madrid put four past RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday. He's already confirmed he'll be in London on Monday. And now, according to L'Équipe, so will Real Madrid.
The club is ending its two-year boycott of football's most prestigious individual award. They'll be at the London Palladium Theatre on October 26 for the 2026 ceremony — the first time since Rodri lifted the trophy over Vinícius Júnior in 2024, a result that so infuriated the club they refused to send a single representative the following year either.
Why the timing matters
Real Madrid's return isn't just symbolic. It comes on the back of a season where they have four credible nominees: Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham, and summer signing Marc Cucurella. That's a serious delegation, and for the first time in three years, the club actually has someone who might win it.
Mbappé is the standout candidate. He was La Liga's top scorer, claimed a second consecutive Pichichi Trophy, led the Champions League scoring charts, and then went to the World Cup and buried 10 goals as France reached the semi-finals. Fifty-eight goals across all competitions for club and country. At 27, he became the World Cup's all-time leading scorer. The case is about as clean as it gets.
Skipping the ceremony the last two years when there was no realistic shot at winning? Smart optics. Showing up now, when he's the frontrunner? Even smarter. Mbappé has been patient with this award his whole career — he's never won it — and he's made it clear he intends to be in the room if his name gets called.
The rest of Real Madrid's 2026 nominees
Bellingham earned his nomination through a relentless club season and a strong World Cup for England. Vinícius was Real Madrid's most dangerous player in the second half of the campaign and Brazil's standout at the tournament. Cucurella's inclusion reflects Spain's World Cup triumph — he was part of a backline that went all the way.
Beyond the men's award, Real Madrid have representation across the board:
- Caroline Weir is nominated for the Women's Ballon d'Or — her second consecutive year up for the award, though she now plays for OL Lyonnes
- Yan Diomande and Felicia Schröder are in the running for the Kopa Trophy, though Barcelona's Lamine Yamal and Vicky López are expected to take those
- Thibaut Courtois is up for the Yashin Trophy for the fourth time — he won it in 2022
The squad flies to London the day after El Clásico at Camp Nou on Sunday. If that match goes well, the mood heading into the ceremony will be electric. If it doesn't, Mbappé will need a Ballon d'Or win to salvage the week.
Either way, Real Madrid's self-imposed exile is over. And with Mbappé's odds looking as short as they do, they've picked the right year to come back.
