According to announcements from two co-organizers, France Football and UEFA, this year's awards ceremony will take place on October 26. The decision to change the venue is to mark the 70th anniversary since English football legend Stanley Matthews became the first owner of the Golden Ball in 1956.
The choice of London also carries many symbolic meanings. The capital of England is the hometown of Harry Kane - the greatest striker in the history of the England national team - and also the headquarters of Arsenal, the team that just won the first Premier League title after 22 years and is preparing to enter the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Kane is considered one of the notable candidates for this year's Ballon d'Or race after an explosive season with Bayern Munich. The 32-year-old striker scored 61 goals in 51 matches in all competitions, the best achievement in his career.
Among them are 14 goals in the Champions League, a tournament where Bayern Munich stopped in the semi-finals against PSG. Kane also contributed 5 more goals for the England team in the World Cup qualifying campaign.
In the men's category, Ousmane Dembele is the reigning Ballon d'Or winner after making a great contribution to helping PSG win the first Champions League title in history last season.
This season, the French striker continues to maintain impressive form with 19 goals in 39 matches for PSG. He scored 7 goals in the Champions League before the final against Arsenal, including an important goal against Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.
However, Dembele also encountered no few difficulties when he was continuously affected by injuries and missed 5 out of 6 World Cup qualifying matches of the French national team.
In the women's category, Aitana Bonmati continues to be a bright candidate. The Spanish midfielder has won the Women's Golden Ball for three consecutive years, although most of this year's season has been interrupted by injuries.
After returning, Bonmati contributed to helping Barcelona complete a quadruple, including the Women's Champions League title after the victory over Lyon in the final last weekend.
