Lionel Messi did not attend the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony at London's Palladium on Monday, October 26, despite being nominated for the award for a record 17th time in his career. The event began 30 minutes later than scheduled after heavy London traffic delayed proceedings, with Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal among those who arrived on the red carpet. Alexia Putellas, Ousmane Dembélé and former player Andriy Shevchenko were also among the attendees, but Messi was not present.
Messi remains one of the 30 nominees for this year's award and has secured a place in the top 10 of the rankings, making his absence from the ceremony particularly noticeable. He has won the Ballon d'Or a record eight times, most recently in 2023.
According to the report, Messi's decision to stay in the United States reflects the demands of his current schedule rather than any lack of interest in the award. He had only recently returned from Oviedo, Spain, after receiving the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports, and another transatlantic trip to London would have left him little time to recover. Inter Miami played the New York Red Bulls on October 24 and are scheduled to face FC Cincinnati on October 28, with the club approaching an important stage of its MLS campaign and working towards the play-offs. Messi also has responsibilities connected to the second edition of the Messi Cup, an international under-16 tournament running in South Florida from October 25 to November 1, which he is involved in organizing.
Speculation about a possible appearance had grown after reports attributed to independent journalist Juan Jesus suggested Messi would attend with his family and personally present the trophy to this year's winner. However, neither his attendance, his family's reported presence, nor the proposed presenter role had been officially confirmed by France Football or UEFA. Subsequent reporting, including from transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, indicated that Messi had not received an invitation to present a trophy and would not be performing that role.
The idea of Messi handing the award to Yamal had fuelled talk of a symbolic passing of the torch, partly because of a 2007 photograph taken for a charity calendar showing a 20-year-old Messi posing with a five-month-old Yamal. That moment did not materialize, as the presenter rumours were never confirmed and Messi's absence means it will not take place as had been speculated.
Messi's 2026 campaign included helping Argentina reach the World Cup final, where he scored eight goals during the tournament, alongside his continued performances for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. His latest nomination takes his total to 17, stretching back to his first inclusion in 2006, and leaves him second behind Cristiano Ronaldo, who has received 18 nominations. Messi remains the only player to have won the award while representing a club outside Europe, and his four consecutive victories between 2009 and 2012 remain unmatched.
