Harry Kane Edges Kylian Mbappé to Claim 2026 Ballon d'Or

Harry Kane won the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or by 28 points, recording 73 goals for club and country during the evaluation period.

Harry Kane secured the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or with 1,055 points, defeating runner-up Kylian Mbappé by a margin of 28 points. According to L'Equipe, the Bayern Munich striker received 40 first-place votes from the 100-journalist jury to become the first English winner of the prize in 25 years. Mbappé finished with 1,027 points and 23 first-place votes, marking the fourth-closest result in the award's 70-year history.

Kane led all European scorers last season with 73 goals for club and country, including six goals during England's third-place World Cup campaign. Mbappé recorded 42 goals for Real Madrid and became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history this summer, netting 10 goals during the 2026 tournament for a career total of 22. Lamine Yamal finished third in the voting with 881 points after helping Barcelona to a LaLiga title and Spain to a World Cup victory.

In the women's category, Alexia Putellas won her third Ballon d'Or with 618 points. Now playing for London City Lionesses, Putellas earned 28 first-place selections from 50 judges to beat Ewa Pajor by 86 points. Khadija Shaw of Manchester City placed third with 344 points.

The men's top five was rounded out by Manchester City's Rodri in fourth place with 726 points and Lionel Messi in fifth with 612 points. The voting system utilized by France Football awarded 15 points for a first-place vote, 12 for second, and 10 for third, descending to a single point for tenth place.