The presentation of the 2026 Ballon d'Or to Harry Kane was overshadowed by serious organizational problems at the London Palladium: the crowd outside the theater delayed the start of the ceremony by 45 minutes, whistles in the hall interrupted the live broadcast several times and, at the end of the evening, Ousmane Dembélé was stranded for almost an hour before he could leave the theater, protesting against the organizers.
Chaos erupted at ballon d'or 2026 in Oxford Circus London Stewards and security guards can't stop group of hooligans fighting their way in #ballondor https://t.co/FP3S9OKpXU
— Zonjy (@zonjy_) October 27, 2026
What happened before the start: the crowd and police intervention
The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony, scheduled to begin at 8pm at the London Palladium, started three quarters of an hour late. Several guests were unable to make it to the red carpet due to the large crowd that had gathered near the theatre. Among them was Ousmane Dembélé, who was forced to wait for around an hour at his hotel before he could reach the theatre without being obstructed.
The many moments of tension included the DAZN live broadcast, where a photographer was forcibly stopped by security personnel, while another journalist, Julien Froment, documented from outside the police's difficulties in controlling the crowd.
Le barrage qui mène au tapis rouge a bien du mal à tenir, beaucoup de gens veulent s approcher pour voir les nommés au #Ballondor intervention de la police pour que ça rentre dans le calme @franceinfo https://t.co/cWi9UcbyPq
— Julien Froment (@JulienFroment) October 26, 2026
Whistles and interruptions for Kate Scott and Thierry Henry
Once the official ceremony began, the atmosphere inside the London Palladium remained tense. The audience, already tired from the long wait, was particularly irritable, with constant shouting, whistling and interruptions, which forced presenters Kate Scott and Thierry Henry to pause, repeat sentences or raise their voices to be heard during the television broadcast. The discontent was especially evident on the eve of the numerous commercial breaks.
Loud boos erupt across the London Palladium as the ceremony hits one final commercial break right before naming the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or winner #BallondOr #BallondOr2026 https://t.co/gQhkeh6ncd
— CUPID FC (@CUPID_FC) October 26, 2026
Chaos after the Ballon d'Or: blocked buses, Dembélé's anger
Well after 11:30 p.m., the red carpet at the London Palladium was still packed with people, as guest vans and buses were unable to make it all the way to the end of the route to pick up attendees. A long queue of vehicles formed and the wait quickly passed half an hour.
Once again, Ousmane Dembélé was in the spotlight, appearing visibly irritated and having a tense conversation with the organizers. The standoff continued for several more minutes, marking the final act of an evening that will be remembered. But not only for the award that was deservedly handed to Harry Kane.
