The most prestigious individual prizes in men’s and women’s football will be awarded on Monday, October 30.
The 2023 Ballon d’Or and Ballon d’Or Feminin will be presented at a star-studded ceremony in Paris, hosted by former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba.
Lionel Messi is predicted to win the men’s award for a record-extending eighth time. The Inter Miami forward would become the first player in history to win the Ballon d’Or while playing for a team in MLS.
Spain’s World Cup-winning star Aitana Bonmati is the favourite for the women’s prize. Barcelona teammate Alexia Putellas has won the previous two, but injury problems have left her out of the running for the 2023 prize.
The winners are likely to be confirmed at approximately 10 p.m. local time (4 p.m. ET). The Sporting News is providing live updates throughout the day and will be bringing you the final results and reaction from the Theatre du Chatelet.
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Ballon d’Or 2023 live updates, final results from trophy ceremony
1:30 p.m. GMT/9:30 a.m. ET: The Ballon d’Or Feminin is expected to remain in Spanish possession. Alexia Putellas won the previous two but has been dogged by injury problems over the past year. Putellas being short of her best and well-documented turbulence off-field made Spain’s triumph in the 2023 Women’s World Cup all the more impressive. That run put Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati in pole position for the big individual prize.
12:45 p.m. GMT/8:45 a.m. ET: Erling Haaland is expected to be Messi’s main challenger for glory tonight. He certainly compiled a heavy argument through sheer weight of numbers in his debut season at Manchester City. Winning a treble when scoring 52 goals in 53 appearances would amount to an open and shut case against most mortals. Even if he doesn’t win the big prize tonight, Haaland is motoring towards a Ballon d’Or at some point and moved onto 13 goals this season with a brace in City’s 3-0 Manchester derby win over the weekend.
MORE: Man United vs Man City final score, result as Haaland and Foden pile pressure on Ten Hag
12:00 p.m. GMT/8:00 a.m. ET: Tonight’s ceremony will take place in the opulent surroundings of Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, with everything getting underway at 8:45 p.m. CET. The winners are likely to be announced a shade over an hour after that. Prior to that, the rankings of the men’s and women’s players outside of the podium places will take place at 5:15 p.m. CET.
📍 A special place for a special night!#ballondor pic.twitter.com/lbifqX2JSZ
— Ballon d’Or #ballondor (@ballondor) October 29, 2023
11:15 a.m. GMT/7:15 a.m. ET: Lionel Messi is the favourite to collect his eighth Ballon d’Or after his World Cup heroics for Argentina. This is central to the case for Messi because the voting period for the 2023 Ballon d’Or was the 2022/23 European season. So, if he gets over the line ahead of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, it won’t be on account of any of those Inter Miami bangers we’ve enjoyed these past months.
10:30 a.m. GMT/6:30 a.m. ET: Welcome to The Sporting News’ coverage of Ballon d’Or day 2023! Who will lift the trophy in Paris this evening? Stay with us to find out.
HERE ARE ALL THE BALLON D’OR NOMINEES! 🌕✨#ballondor pic.twitter.com/hg1ZByzhDV
— Ballon d’Or #ballondor (@ballondor) September 6, 2023
What time does the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony start?
The red carpet arrivals at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris start at 7 p.m. local time, with the ceremony scheduled to start at 8.30 p.m. and finish by 10.30 p.m. All times are estimated by event organisers.
Here’s how that arrivals time translates across some of the major territories:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA | Mon Oct. 30 | 2:00 p.m. ET |
| Canada | Mon Oct. 30 | 2:00 p.m. ET |
| UK | Mon Oct. 30 | 6:00 p.m. GMT |
| Australia | Tue Oct. 31 | 5:00 a.m. AEDT |
| India | Sun Sep. 24 | 11:30 p.m. IST |
| Hong Kong | Tue Oct. 31 | 2:00 a.m. HKT |
| Malaysia | Tue Oct. 31 | 2:00 a.m. MYT |
| Singapore | Tue Oct. 31 | 2:00 a.m. SGT |
| New Zealand | Tue Oct. 31 | 7:00 a.m. NZDT |
MORE: How Messi’s Ballon d’Or wins compare to MVPs in NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL
Where to watch Ballon d’Or 2023 live stream, TV channel
The 2023 Ballon d’Or is a streamable event, with the familiar face of Chelsea legend Didier Drogba presenting.