Sport

France Football has announced that this year’s Ballon d’Or awards ceremony will take place in London on October 26, marking the first time the English capital will host the prestigious football event. The organisers revealed the development on Thursday, noting that the 2026 edition will coincide with the 70th anniversary of the Ballon d’Or. London was selected in honour of Sir Stanley Matthews, the inaugural winner of the award in 1956.

Crystal Palace wins the Conference League title after defeating Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in the UEFA Conference League final in Leipzig.

After leading Arsenal to their first league championship in 22 years, Mikel Arteta was named Premier League Manager of the Season. In the penultimate matchweek, the Spaniard led the Gunners to the 2025–2026 Premier League title, defeating Manchester City. It is Arteta's first Manager of the Season title, and he is the first manager of Arsenal to do so since Arsène Wenger. With 19 clean sheets and just 27 goals given up in 38 games, Arsenal's defense was the best in the league and the foundation of their championship-winning campaign. In addition, the North London team had the second-highest goal total in the division with 71.

Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen has identified West Ham United captain Jarrod Bowen as the ideal candidate to replace Mohamed Salah at Liverpool. Speaking after Liverpool’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Brentford on Sunday, Owen praised Bowen’s quality and suggested the England international should not be playing outside the top flight following West Ham’s relegation to the Championship.

Nigeria has been drawn against Madagascar, Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau in the qualification race for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations after the Confederation of African Football conducted the official draw for the tournament’s preliminary stage. The draw, which maps out the path to the 2027 AFCON finals to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, placed 48 participating countries into four pots of 12 teams each. Every qualifying group features one team from each pot, with the top two sides securing places at the continental showpiece.

Chelsea Football Club (FC) has announced Xabi Alonso as its new head coach and is set to commence his four-year contract from July 1.