Real Madrid Make 2026 Ballon d’Or Boycott Decision Amid Kylian Mbappe’s Chances

After boycotting the last two Ballon d’Or ceremonies, Real Madrid will be in attendance for the 2026 iteration of the event in London on Monday evening, according to L’Equipe.

Los Blancos notoriously refused to show their face at the 2024 ceremony in Paris after discovering that Vinicius Junior wouldn’t be crowned the winner of the prestigious award. The Brazilian was battling it out with Manchester City’s Rodri after enjoying an outstanding year at the Bernabeu, but was beaten to the top place on the podium by the Spaniard.

In a show of support for Vinicius, who many felt was unfortunate not to be named the best player on the planet that year, the Spanish giants made the decision not to have any presence at the event.

A year later, Caroline Weir, who was nominated for the Women’s Ballon d’Or, was in attendance at the ceremony. However, she was the only representative of Real Madrid to show up at the Theatre du Chatelet, despite the likes of Vinicius, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe all being nominated for the Men’s award.

None of these nominees was expected to be in the running to win the award, which prompted many to question why Real Madrid opted for a minimal presence at the ceremony, as there was little to protest.

The Spanish club’s hiatus from the ceremony is set to end on Monday, however. This year’s event takes place at the London Palladium Theatre near Oxford Circus in the British capital.

Four Real Madrid men’s players have been nominated for the top prize – Mbappe, Vinicius, Bellingham and Marc Cucurella – while Weir (who left Real Madrid Feminino in the summer for Lyon) has earned another nomination for the Women’s award.

Meanwhile, Thibaut Courtois (Goalkeeper of the Season), Yan Diomandé (Young Talent), and Felicia Schroder (Young Female Talent) are also in contention for individual silverware.

Kylian Mbappe’s Ballon d’Or Odds Improved This Week

REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura

Real Madrid’s overwhelming presence on the nomination lists meant abandoning the ceremony once again wouldn’t be a good look.

That said, their attendance has reportedly been in the balance, and L’Equipe only confirmed that the club would be present in recent days.

Coincidentally, Kylian Mbappe’s Ballon d’Or odds suddenly improved late this week ahead of Monday’s event.

Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane have long been deemed the two overwhelming favourites, with the Frenchman considered the firm third choice.

However, the bookmakers’ favourites list has changed dramatically, with Mbappe moving up to second, having risen by 10% in the odds.

While this hasn’t necessarily impacted Real Madrid’s decision to attend, they have likely been given an indication that their star striker is at least in with a genuine chance of securing his first Ballon d’Or.