Harry Kane wins the 2026 Ballon d’Or: full top 10, every award winner and what it means

Harry Kane is the 2026 Ballon d’Or winner. The Bayern Munich and England striker was announced as the winner at the London Palladium on Monday 26 October, ahead of Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé in second and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal in third. He is the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001, and the first Bayern player to win it since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981.

Ballon d’Or 2026: the top 10

1 Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England). 2 Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid, France). 3 Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain). 4 Rodri (Manchester City/Barcelona, Spain). 5 Lionel Messi (Inter Miami, Argentina). 6 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG, Georgia). 7 Ousmane Dembélé (PSG, France). 8 Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway). 9 Michael Olise (Bayern Munich, France). 10 Fabián Ruiz (PSG, Spain).

Why Kane won

Kane’s case was built on goals, and the numbers were extraordinary. In 2025-26 he scored 61 goals in 51 games for Bayern, including 36 in the Bundesliga, and added 12 for England, a total of 73 in 65 games. Only Lionel Messi’s 82 in 2011-12 has topped that this century. He won the Bundesliga, the DFB Cup and the Supercup, took the European Golden Shoe for the second time, and scored six times at the World Cup as England finished third.

The voting panel of 100 journalists judged the period from August 2025 to the World Cup final on 19 July 2026. Kane did not win the Champions League or the World Cup, but his goals across every competition outweighed Mbappé’s scoring and Yamal’s trophies. “Wow, I’m almost speechless,” he said on stage, and he spoke about a career that “didn’t go straight to the top”, after early loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich and Leicester.

Mbappé second, Yamal third

Mbappé finished second after a season of 58 goals in 60 games, the Champions League golden boot and a new record as the World Cup’s all-time top scorer; neither Real Madrid nor France won a major trophy. Yamal, a LaLiga and World Cup winner at 19, finished third. The day before the ceremony, Mbappé scored twice in Real Madrid’s 2-1 Clásico win at Camp Nou, but voting had closed on 28 September.

Every 2026 award winner

Ballon d’Or Féminin: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona/London City Lionesses, Spain), her third, with Ewa Pajor second and Khadija Shaw third. Kopa Trophy (best young player): Lamine Yamal, his third in a row, and Vicky López. Yashin Trophy (goalkeepers): Unai Simón (Athletic Club) and Cata Coll (Barcelona). Gerd Müller Trophy (top scorers): Harry Kane and Charlyn Corral (Pachuca). Coach of the year: Luis de la Fuente (Spain) and Pere Romeu (Barcelona). Club of the year: Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona Femení. Sócrates Award for social work: Bukayo Saka.

Talking points

PSG had ten players on the 30-man shortlist and won the Champions League again, but their best-placed player was Kvaratskhelia in sixth; Dembélé, the 2025 winner, was seventh. The split vote was always a risk with so many candidates from one club. Spain dominated the other awards, with De la Fuente, Simón, Yamal and the Barcelona women all honoured. The ceremony itself started 45 minutes late because of London traffic, and before it began the official Ballon d’Or website briefly published draft articles naming each of the three favourites as the winner, which were removed.

What it means for Kane

At 33, Kane now has the individual prize that was missing from a career full of goals: Tottenham’s record scorer, England’s record scorer, and two Bundesliga titles with Bayern. The next target is the one that has eluded him longest, the Champions League. Bayern play Atlético Madrid away on 4 November. Read our full Harry Kane player profile for his career numbers and records.