How to Watch Ballon d’Or 2025 – Dembele leading race | OneFootball

Ballon d’Or 2025 – Dembele Leading Race for Football’s Top Prize

Dembele Favourite for Historic Win

All eyes turn to Paris tonight for the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet, with Ousmane Dembele leading the odds to claim football’s most prestigious individual award. The Paris Saint-Germain forward is tipped to win after a season in which he inspired his club to a first-ever Champions League title, as well as triumphs in Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and the Trophee des Champions.

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Dembele could become the sixth French player to lift the trophy after Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema. His rise to the pinnacle of world football has been one of the stories of the season, and a win would cement his transformation from promising talent to global star.

Eight of Dembele’s PSG team-mates are also on the 30-man shortlist, including Achraf Hakimi and teenage prodigy Desire Doue, but the squad may not attend the ceremony due to a rescheduled Ligue 1 clash with Marseille.

Yamal Among Main Challengers

Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal has enjoyed a breakthrough year and is considered the leading rival to Dembele. The teenager was instrumental in Barcelona’s domestic double alongside Raphinha, and many observers believe that should Dembele miss out on the ceremony, Yamal is next in line.

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Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah is also nominated, joined by Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister, while Cole Palmer, Declan Rice and Viktor Gyokeres represent the Premier League’s growing influence on the shortlist.

When and Where to Watch Ballon d’Or 2025

Fans wanting to know where to watch the Ballon d’Or will be pleased to learn that the ceremony begins at 7pm BST tonight and will be streamed live for free on L’Equipe’s YouTube channel and website. No UK broadcaster has been confirmed, making the online stream the primary option for viewers.

Other Awards on the Night

Alongside the men’s Ballon d’Or, the women’s award will also be presented, with England’s Hannah Hampton, Lucy Bronze, Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo and Leah Williamson among the favourites. The Kopa Trophy for best men’s under-21 player looks set for another Lamine Yamal win, while the Yashin Trophy will decide the world’s best goalkeeper, with Alisson Becker and David Raya among the contenders.

Liverpool, PSG, Barcelona, Chelsea and Botafogo make up the men’s club shortlist, and there is also fierce competition for the women’s coach of the year prize, with Sarina Wiegman again nominated.

This year’s Ballon d’Or feels like a changing of the guard, with none of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric or Karim Benzema on the shortlist for the first time in almost two decades. For Dembele, victory would symbolise not only personal vindication but also a new era for French football.