Why are PSG and Real Madrid not at Ballon d'Or?

The Ballon d'Or ceremony will crown the world's best football player tonight, but two teams, Paris St-Germain and Real Madrid, will not be in attendance.

Paris St-Germain is missing the event because they have a rescheduled Ligue 1 match against Marseille on Monday evening. This match was originally scheduled for September 21 but was postponed due to expected storms in the region. Nine PSG players are nominated this year; injured players like Ousmane Dembele may attend, but others, including Achraf Hakimi and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, will not as they are part of the squad for the match.

Real Madrid is absent for the second year in a row, likely due to their La Liga match against Levante on Tuesday evening. Last year, they were absent when Vinicius Junior lost the men's player award to Rodri. In 2024, Real Madrid won club of the year, and then-manager Carlo Ancelotti won the men's coach award. Three Real players are nominated: Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, and Vinicius Junior. Mbappe mentioned he will watch the ceremony on TV and hopes his France teammate Dembele wins the award.