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Well, football fans, get your suits pressed, your predictions ready and your VAR complaints prepared, because the Ballon d’Or is rolling into London tonight!

The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony takes place tonight, Monday 26 October, at 8:00 pm GMT, at the London Palladium.

It's the 70th anniversary of football's famous golden prize, and for the first time, London is hosting the ceremony. Thierry Henry and Kate Scott will be presenting the awards.

And here's a statistic worth getting your boots in a twist over: 11 of the 30 nominees for the Women's Ballon d’Or currently play in the Women's Super League.

That's more than a third of the shortlist playing their football in England. The golden ball might only go to one player, but the WSL has certainly brought a few extra footballs to the party.

And according to a new article by Beth Limb on the official WSL website, those nominations are only the tip of the footballing iceberg.

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The numbers don't lie (although VAR might still want another look)

According to league data supplied by Twenty First Group:

• 36 of the world's top 100 players currently play in the WSL. That's 36%, compared with 20% in Spain's Liga F and 17% in France's Première Ligue.
• 16 of the world's top 50 players also play in England, more than in any other league.
• The WSL is home to 12 of the world's top 25 defenders, 11 of the top 25 midfielders and eight of the top 25 attackers.
• Since 2020, the WSL has consistently had more of the world's top 100 players than any other league.

So there's quality at the back, in midfield and up front. The league has practically assembled a full squad of world-class footballers, with enough left over to give the substitutes' bench a serious selection headache.

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It's not just the domestic game getting attention

The article also highlights the WSL's international strength:

• 32% of players who represented one of the world's top 10 national teams over the past year now play their domestic football in the WSL.
• Seven of those 10 national teams have more players in the WSL than in any other domestic league.
• 68% of WSL players have senior international experience, averaging 29 caps each.
• 82 players selected for UEFA Women's Euro 2025 represented WSL clubs.
• Players aged 23–29 accounted for 61% of WSL minutes during the 2025/26 season.

This isn't a league that suddenly discovered the transfer market last Tuesday.

The article looks back at World Cup winners Alex Morgan and Tobin Heath playing in England, while Mariona Caldentey's arrival at Arsenal from Barcelona in 2024 proved another major statement. She won the inaugural WSL Player of the Season award in her first campaign.

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Summer transfers: apparently England's weather wasn't enough to put them off

Four of the world's top 50 players moved to the WSL this summer.

London City Lionesses signed two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas and defender Mapi León from Barcelona, while Arsenal brought in Ona Batlle from Barcelona and Georgia Stanway from Bayern Munich.

And the spending didn't stop there.

London City also recruited Mary Earps and Kadidiatou Diani, Liverpool added Vivien Endemann and Natalia Ramos, and Tottenham signed Alice Sombath from OL Lyonnes.

You'd think somebody had switched Football Manager's transfer budget setting to unlimited.

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The newcomers have hit the ground running

According to Wyscout's per-90 statistics, using players with at least 300 minutes this season:

Alexia Putellas – London City Lionesses

• Three goals and one assist already.
• 7.6 progressive passes per 90.
• 1.3 chances created per 90.
• Named London City captain just weeks after arriving.

Two Ballon d’Or trophies, goals, assists and the captain's armband. Not a bad way to introduce yourself to English football.

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Mapi León – London City Lionesses

• 12.1 progressive passes per 90 from centre-back.
• Only Arsenal's Leah Williamson averages more among WSL defenders.

Apparently, being a centre-back doesn't mean you have to leave the playmaking to the midfielders.

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Ona Batlle – Arsenal

• 1.7 progressive runs per 90.
• 2.6 crosses per 90.
• 3.1 touches in the opposition box per 90.
• 1.0 key passes per 90.

She's technically a full-back, but somebody might need to remind her where the defensive half is.

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Georgia Stanway – Arsenal

• 81.7 passes per 90, the most of any WSL midfielder.
• 90% passing accuracy.
• 11.6 progressive passes per 90.
• 12.8 passes into the final third per 90.

The latter two figures also lead all WSL midfielders.

She's only been at Arsenal since the summer, but she's already running the midfield like an air traffic controller at Heathrow.

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So what does tonight tell us?

Only one footballer can walk away with the Women's Ballon d’Or, but the WSL's representation demonstrates how much international talent is currently playing in England.

Of course, having the most highly ranked players doesn't automatically settle the debate over which league is the strongest. There's still the small matter of winning football matches, something football fans have been politely disagreeing about since roughly the invention of the sport.

But with 11 nominees, high-profile summer arrivals, and a growing collection of international stars, the WSL certainly has plenty to shout about.

And tonight, London gets to host football's biggest individual awards ceremony for the very first time.

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Now, over to r/soccer:

Who should win the Women's Ballon d’Or tonight?

Does having 36 of the world's top 100 players make the WSL the strongest women's league, or do you think Spain and France still have the edge?

And which summer signing has impressed you the most so far?

Just remember: there are no wrong answers here, unless you're suggesting the award should be decided by a five-minute VAR check and somebody drawing lines on a television screen.

Source: WSL Football – Ballon d’Or 2026: 11 of the 30 nominees play in the WSL

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Article by Beth Limb, published 26 October 2026. League data courtesy of Twenty First Group; per-90 statistics from Wyscout.

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At 3:30, he says, “Everyone in the stadium saw that there was only one team who really tried to create and tried to win this game and so I have to praise my players.”

This is a schedule of this week's derbies and rivalry matches from Derbyist, where you can also find more upcoming derbies and historical results with video highlights.

Upcoming Derbies This Week 🔥

Monday October 26

• 🇹🇷 Galatasaray v. Fenerbahçe (The Intercontinental Derby (football)) - 18:30 GMT ### Wednesday October 28
• 🇬🇷 PAOK v. AEK Athens (Double-headed eagles derby) - 18:30 GMT ### Thursday October 29
• 🇧🇷 Atlético Mineiro v. Cruzeiro (Clássico Mineiro) - 22:30 GMT
• 🇧🇷 Vasco da Gama v. Flamengo (Clássico dos Milhões) - 23:00 GMT ### Friday October 30
• 🇫🇷 Lille v. Lens (Derby du Nord) - 20:05 GMT ### Saturday October 31
• 🇿🇦 Orlando Pirates v. Kaizer Chiefs (Soweto derby) - 13:30 GMT
• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Rangers v. Aberdeen (Aberdeen F.C.–Rangers F.C. rivalry) - 15:00 GMT
• 🇧🇬 Levski Sofia v. CSKA Sofia (Eternal derby of Bulgarian football) - 16:00 GMT
• 🇩🇪 Bayern Munich v. Borussia Dortmund (Der Klassiker) - 17:30 GMT
• 🇮🇹 AC Milan v. Inter Milan (Derby della Madonnina) - 19:45 GMT ### Sunday November 1
• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Heart of Midlothian v. Hibernian (Edinburgh derby) - 15:00 GMT
• 🇦🇹 Austria Vienna v. Rapid Vienna (Wiener Derby) - 16:00 GMT
• 🇦🇷 Boca Juniors v. River Plate (Superclásico) - 18:00 GMT
• 🇮🇹 Juventus v. Napoli (Juventus F.C.–S.S.C. Napoli rivalry) - 19:45 GMT
• 🇪🇸 Athletic Bilbao v. Real Sociedad (Basque derby) - 20:00 GMT

Last Week's Derby Results & Highlights 🔥

Saturday October 24

• 🇮🇹 Napoli 3–3 Roma (Derby del Sole) Highlights
• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Chelsea 0–2 Tottenham Hotspur (Chelsea F.C.–Tottenham Hotspur F.C. rivalry) Highlights
• 🇪🇸 Valencia 1–2 Villarreal (Derbi de la Comunitat) Highlights
• 🇧🇦 FK Sarajevo 2–0 Željezničar Sarajevo (Sarajevo derby) ### Sunday October 25
• 🇪🇸 Barcelona 1–2 Real Madrid (El Clásico) Highlights
• 🇨🇴 Atlético Nacional 2–1 Independiente Medellín (El Clásico Paisa) Highlights

Also, check out our sister site, Highlighter — featuring video highlights from every match across all the top European competitions.

NOTA BENE: If we're missing a derby or notable rivalry, first please read the FAQs and then let us know so we can add it to the database. Thank you.

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Thought I'd put this here for balance, since people love to post the Ashley Young quotes as a reason for him to not be the Man Utd Manager (even though he as talking about video reviews after losses and also said in the same interview that Conte is good and wins everywhere he goes).

🎙️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scott McTominay on Antonio Conte:

"He’s obviously a great coach. Everyone knows his qualities and style. With me, he’s been incredible. He’s shown us football in a different way, especially the mental side, which is crucial. You don’t realize the benefits until you push your body and mind to the limit and understand what you’re capable of."

"I already knew from a young age that I liked pushing myself, but this is another level. It’s total dedication to football, work and life. That’s why he gets results. Spending time with him, like when we went to Milan, I also saw he’s a good person. We had a nice conversation. Off the pitch he has a human side too, which is positive. But on the pitch he’s serious, like most coaches. And our results reflect how he wants us to approach games."

Alexander Selikhov- goaltender from Ural Ekaterinburg scored late winner against Chelyabinsk (Pari League- Russia 2nd tier)

And that's a derby