Ballon d’Or 2026: Learn English Through Football Podcast
1 November 2026
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In this week’s football-language podcast we look at some language associated with the Ballon d’Or after Harry Kane won the 2026 award. We will also look at predictions from some of the big games this weekend including . You can read the transcript below, read some teaching tips on how to use these materials, check out our glossary here, or browse all our previous posts and podcasts.
For Teachers ▸ how to use this episode in class
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- Pre-Listening: Ask the students if they know what the Ballon d’Or is and any previous winners they might know.
- General Listening: Which players were mentioned in the report?
- Listening for meaning: Ask them to listen out for the following words: award; shortlist; nominate; crowned and first-time winner.
- Using listening information: From their initial listening (and maybe notes) ask students to explain the main points to their classmates (spoken and / or written).
- Predictions: What are the students’ predictions for the matches we covered in this week’s show? (language of predictions here).
- Discussion activity: Do you think the two winners deserved to win the Ballon d’Or? Should there be an individual award for a team sport?
Hello
DF: You’re listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast.
Hello everyone this is Damian from the Learn English Through Football team and I hope you are all doing well. I am in a chilly but sunny London – the storms have moved off for the moment and we are having some nice Autumn weather. I wonder how the other member of the Learn English Through Football team Damon is doing in Tokyo? Hi Damon, how are things?
DB: Hi Damian. a late typhoon in Japan last week brought rain and of course wind, but now things seem to have settled and we have some lovely autumn weather like you. I’m also feeling pretty good after Liverpool beat Chelsea in the League Cup – sponsors name ‘the Carabao Cup – on penalties. That’s the fifth time in a row we’ve beaten the Blues on pens. How about you Damian? Confident about your next game?
DF: Never confident as a Spurs fan but it looks like we are slowly turning a corner. I am hoping we are not going to have a ‘Doctor Tottenham’ moment today against Crystal Palace, which of course means when a team in poor form manages to win their next game – it’s usually against Spurs. And I am going along to watch them today so fingers crossed we play well!
Stinger: You are listening to the Learn English through football podcast (in French from a Canadian football fan)
Today’s Show
DF: Yes, you are listening to the Learn English through Football Podcast and that message was in French from a Canadian football fan.
DF: Do you know what the trophy for the best player in the world is called? Yes, it is the Ballon d’Or and it is given or awarded to the best male and female player in the world this year. And so on today’s show, we take a look at some of the football language from the recent Ballon d’Or awards in London earlier this week. We’ll also take a look back at our predictions from last week – not so good again! And we’ll look forward to some of the big games this weekend including Liverpool versus Arsenal from the Premier League.
Stinger: You are listening to the Learn English through football podcast
2026 Ballon d’Or
DF: As we mentioned earlier in the podcast, this year’s Ballon d’Or winners were announced in London during the week. Of course, this award is to honour individual players; it is an individual honour. Players are nominated which means other people put their names forward so others can vote for them. And from the large list of players, the top six players in both the men’s and women’s categories are shortlisted and this means that these six players have the most votes – they were voted the best players. Of course, the player with the most votes is then awarded the Ballon d’Or trophy while the other players miss out – they didn’t win this time. Let’s have a look at the two winners this year.
Alexia Putellas won her third Ballon d’Or award while Harry Kane won the men’s award for the first time. The word ‘award‘ is used here to describe the top prize of being the best player in the world this year. It can also be used as a verb so we can say that Kane and Putellas were awarded the Ballon d’Or. We might also hear the phrase, ‘they collected their award‘ or ‘they were presented with their award‘ at the ceremony. So, this was Kane’s first win so he is a first-time winner but Putellas has now won three times so we can describe her as a three-time winner.
Here are some examples – the first from the BBC:
Examples
- Harry Kane has become the first English player to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001 after being crowned the world’s best player …(BBC.co.uk)
- Harry Kane triumphs with historic Ballon d’Or win (Guardian.co.uk)
- Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas has won the Ballon d’Or Feminin for a record-equalling third time, (BBC.co.uk)
Stinger: You are listening to the Learn English through football podcast (from a Mexican fan)
Contact
DB: Remember, if you have any questions or comments about this week’s football expression or indeed any other football language then you can drop us an email at contact@learnenglishthroughfootball.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram and YouTube. We also have a football-language forum where you can ask and answer any questions you have on the language of football. And, don’t forget to support us by liking our podcasts and sharing them with your friends!
Predictions Review: El Clásico Barcelona v Real Madrid
Listen to our previous podcast on the language of predictions here.
DF: OK, let’s take a look back at our predictions from last weekend. I was wrong about Lyon as I thought they might get a draw at PSG but the current champions easily defeated Lyon 2-0. Surely I could do better in the prediction for el clásico? No! Both Damon and myself thought Barca would win but neither of us got that right as Jose Mourinho’s side won 2-1 with a double (or ) from Kylian Mbappé. And we looked at that expression in our weekly football phrase this week: to score a double. Well, let’s see how we do this weekend with our predictions.
Predictions Liverpool v Arsenal (Premier League)
DF: Both these sides had different Carabao Cup experiences during the week. Liverpool defeated Chelsea on penalties while Arsenal lost to League Two side Fleetwood Town also on penalties – there are 84 places between the two sides so this was a huge cup upset. I think Arsenal will want to bounce back but I think Liverpool will continue their good run of form and beat Arsenal 1-0.
DB: Well, I used to be pretty confident when big teams came to Anfield – most recently Manchester City and Arsenal – but we seem to have lost a bit of the Anfield aura, when Anfield was a fortress – a really tough place to go. On the flip side, as you say Damian, we’ve had some pretty good form recently with five wins on the bounce in all competitions. Arsenal are tough opposition though. I reckon it’ll be a draw, which I think would be fine for Liverpool.
Predictions : Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga)
DF: The big game in Germany this weekend is between the top two in the Bundesliga, that’s Bayern Munich against Borussia Dortmund. Both sides are unbeaten in the league and both have 17 points so it’s a real top-of-the-table clash. Can the newly-crowned Ballon d’Or winner Harry Kane continue his fine scoring form? I think so. Bayern always seem to turn up in the big games in Germany and I think they will win this one 2-1.
DB: I agree. I’ll go with home advantage and an exciting 3-2 win. Maybe with a late Kane winner!
Stinger: You are listening to the Learn English through Football Podcast (from a Stuttgart fan)
DB: Thank you for that message, which was from a German fan of Stuttgart. And yes, you are listening to the Learn English through Football podcast. If you would like to send in a message like this; we’d love to hear from you. Maybe mention your name, where you are from and which team you support. Or simply say, ‘You’re listening to the Learn English through Football Podcast’ in any language that you wish! Just drop us a line at contact@learnenglisththroughfootball.com.
Language Review
DF: OK, so let’s look back at some of the language from today’s show which was all about the Ballon d’Or. We explained the word ‘award‘ and also looked at ‘nominated‘, ‘shortlisted‘ and ‘first-time winner‘. Do you know any other words or expressions connected to the Ballon d’Or? And how about similar expressions in other languages?
DB: And remember, if you come along to our site and open this post, you’ll see some teaching ideas at the top of the page in which we suggest a few ways to possibly use these materials with your students or even when you’re learning by yourself. We also have a thread for teaching ideas on our forum so again come along and take a look and maybe share some of the ways you might use these with your learners.
Goodbye
DF: Right, that’s the end of the show for this week. Listen out for the shorter Weekly Football Phrase episode coming mid-week. Until then, enjoy the football. Bye!
DB: Ta-ra!