England captain Harry Kane has won the 2026 Men’s Ballon d’Or, beating Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal to claim football’s most prestigious individual award.
Kane received the honour at the 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony held at the London Palladium on Monday, October 26, becoming the first Englishman to win the men’s award since former Liverpool striker Michael Owen in 2001.
The Bayern Munich striker enjoyed an outstanding 2025-26 campaign, scoring 73 goals in 65 appearances for club and country. His performances helped Bayern secure major domestic honours and strengthened his case for the individual award.
The 33-year-old also won the Men’s Striker of the Year award, giving him two major individual honours at the ceremony.
Mbappé finished second in the men’s Ballon d’Or voting, while Yamal placed third. The result marked a significant milestone for Kane, who had previously never finished higher than 10th in the award’s rankings.
Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas won the Women’s Ballon d’Or, claiming the honour for the third time after previous victories in 2021 and 2022.
The ceremony also recognised emerging talents, goalkeepers, coaches and clubs, with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain among the major winners.
Below is the list of winners across the main categories at the 2026 ceremony.
Full list of 2026 Ballon d’Or winners
- Men’s Ballon d’Or: Harry Kane, Bayern Munich and England
- Women’s Ballon d’Or: Alexia Putellas, Barcelona/London City Lionesses and Spain
- Men’s Young Talent of the Year: Lamine Yamal, Barcelona and Spain
- Women’s Young Talent of the Year: Vicky López, Barcelona and Spain
- Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year: Unai Simón, Athletic Club and Spain
- Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year: Cata Coll, Barcelona and Spain
- Men’s Coach of the Year: Luis de la Fuente, Spain national team
- Women’s Coach of the Year: Pere Romeu, Barcelona
- Men’s Club of the Year: Paris Saint-Germain
- Women’s Club of the Year: Barcelona
- Men’s Striker of the Year: Harry Kane, Bayern Munich and England
- Women’s Striker of the Year: Charlyn Corral, Pachuca and Mexico
- Sócrates Award: Bukayo Saka, Arsenal and England
The men’s top 10 rankings were also led by Kane, with Mbappé and Yamal completing the top three.
2026 Men’s Ballon d’Or top 10
- Harry Kane, Bayern Munich
- Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid
- Lamine Yamal, Barcelona
- Rodri, Manchester City/Barcelona
- Lionel Messi, Inter Miami
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Paris Saint-Germain
- Ousmane Dembélé, Paris Saint-Germain
- Erling Haaland, Manchester City
- Michael Olise, Bayern Munich
- Fabián Ruiz, Paris Saint-Germain
Kane’s victory ended England’s 25-year wait for another men’s Ballon d’Or winner. The previous English recipient was Owen, who won the award in 2001 while playing for Liverpool.
The 2026 ceremony was particularly significant because it marked the award’s 70th anniversary. The Ballon d’Or was first presented in 1956 to English footballer Sir Stanley Matthews.
With Kane and Putellas taking the two principal awards, the ceremony celebrated standout individual performances across the men’s and women’s games, while the additional honours recognised achievements by young players, goalkeepers, coaches and clubs during the season.
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