Security tension at Palladium doors.. Will the Ballon d'Or ceremony be delayed due to fan chaos?

Police impose security cordon around Palladium Theatre to secure Ballon d'Or

Ballon d'Or Today at 16:04

Add Foot Africa on Google

Security tension at Palladium doors.. Will the Ballon d'Or ceremony be delayed due to fan chaos?

The Ballon d'Or 2026 ceremony has faced unexpected disruption after large crowds gathered outside London's Palladium Theatre on Monday 26 October prompting police intervention shortly before the scheduled start of the awards.

Thousands of football supporters descended on the area surrounding the London Palladium, hoping to catch a glimpse of the world's leading players arriving for the 70th edition of the prestigious awards.

The large gathering created difficulties around the venue's entrances and red carpet areas, with police stepping in to control the crowds and protect arriving guests.

The ceremony is officially scheduled to begin at 20:00 GMT, although reports of a possible slight delay have emerged amid the disruption.

However, organisers have not publicly confirmed a revised starting time or established that the crowd situation has delayed the event.

Police intervene as crowds gather outside Ballon d'Or venue

According to The Sun's report from London (https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/40815921/police-forced-to-push-crowds-back-ballon-dor/), large numbers of supporters gathered outside the theatre during the red carpet arrivals.

Some fans climbed onto street containers to obtain a better view of the football stars while others moved towards areas designated for arriving guests.

Police officers intervened to manage the gathering and maintain safety around the venue.

The situation created an additional organisational challenge as the final preparations continued ahead of the ceremony.

🚨 BREAKING: #BallonDor ceremony has been delayed and will now start at 8:30pm, rather than 8pm, reports @NathSalt1! 🌕⛔️ https://t.co/TMHfNDgYBG
— TheGoalsZone (@TheGoalsZone) October 26, 2026

Will the Ballon d'Or 2026 ceremony start late?

The possibility of a delayed start has attracted attention as supporters await the beginning of the awards presentation.

The official Ballon d'Or schedule sets the red carpet programme between 18:00 and 19:40 London time, followed by the ceremony at 20:00.

That leaves a short interval between the end of the arrivals and the beginning of the main event.

However, while the crowd disruption has been documented, reports suggesting that participating delegations are arriving late have not been independently verified.

No official postponement or revised schedule had been confirmed at the time of publication.

This article follows our newsroom’s editorial standards. To learn more about how we create and fact-check our content, see our Editorial Policy .

Khaled Hegazy |

Editorar, en

Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.