Ballon d'Or 2025 odds: Who is the favourite for prestigious award as ceremony to be broadcast on TV tonight

Last year, Manchester City midfielder Rodri claimed the top prize, having also spearheaded Spain to a World Cup victory. But 2025 marks the end of an era, with neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi nominated for the first time in two decades.

The Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place tonight (Monday, September 22) at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France. Starting at 8pm, the awards will also be broadcast on TNT Sports and Discovery Plus in the UK - as well as being live streamed on L’Equipe’s YouTube channel.

There are plenty of candidates for this year’s award. Having won the Champions League, PSG stars like Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha are firmly in the running; Liverpool’s Premier League title has thrust Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk into the conversation; and Chelsea’s silverware from the Club World Cup means you cannot count out Cole Palmer either.

If you are a betting man, however, there are a couple of players who are the clear favourites for the award.

Shane Orton, spokesperson for SportsCasting, said: “Ousmane Dembele is the clear frontrunner for the 2025 Ballon d'Or at 2/7, and the betting reflects a growing belief that he's all but secured the award. Lamine Yamal at 4/1 is the closest challenger, with Raphinha and Mo Salah further back, but right now Dembele is in a league of his own.

“That said, after Rodri’s surprise win over Vinicius Junior last year, we know this award isn’t always as predictable as the odds suggest.”

See below the frontrunning odds for tonight’s Ballon d’Or winner:

Ousmane Dembele 2/7

Lamine Yamal 4/1

Raphinha 14/1

Mo Salah 16/1

Vitinha 40/1

Cole Palmer 50/1

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia 50/1

Kylian Mbappe 50/1

Achraf Hakimi 66/1

Nuno Mendes 66/1

Virgil Van Dijk 80/1