A venue steeped in 67 years’ worth of history in the heart of London, this year The Best FIFA Football Awards will be honouring the brightest figures in the game on the banks of the Thames at the Royal Festival Hall.

While Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Mohamed Salah are among the nominees hoping to be triumphantly treading the boards on Monday 24 September, the stage has been the home of the world famous London Philharmonic Orchestra for the past 26 years.

Just yards away from the Palace of Westminster, Big Ben and the London Eye, the venue can lay claim to occupying one of the most iconic spots the storied city has to offer.

First opened in 1951 to mark the Festival of Britain and boasting a 2,500-seater auditorium, the venue has become one of England’s premier classical locations, welcoming major figures from Dmitri Shostakovich to Daniel Barenboim, while hosting the likes of George Harrison and Frank Sinatra across a varied over a half century of music.

More recently, a whole range of stars of music and stage have stood at the centre of the hall’s impressive interior. It has witnessed the likes of Beach Boys genius Brian Wilson premiering his long-lost album Smile and Phil Collins’ long-awaited return to London last year, to the likes of the Libertines and Paul Weller featuring on this year's calendar either side of The Best FIFA Football Awards.

With theatre, literature and art exhibitions similarly featuring prominently at the Southbank Centre where Royal Festival can be found, the venue will now add a new array of creative geniuses to the list it has welcomed across seven decades, with The Best football has to offer turning up on 24 September.