Harry Kane wins the 2026 Ballon d'Or: full list of winners

Harry Kane is the best player in the world for 2026, according to the journalists who vote for the Ballon d'Or. The Bayern Munich and England striker won the award on Monday at the London Palladium, the first time the ceremony has been held in London. He became the first English winner in 25 years.

"Wow, wow, wow!" Kane said as he reached the stage, BBC Sport reported. "I am almost speechless." He added that winning in London had made the night extra special.

The 33-year-old is the fifth Englishman to win, after Stanley Matthews (1956), Bobby Charlton (1966), Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979) and Owen (2001), BBC Sport reported. He is also the first Bayern player to win since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981. Earlier on Monday, NewsCubby's Ballon d'Or preview laid out the shortlist, the voting and how to watch.

Why did Harry Kane win the Ballon d'Or?

Kane won on goals. He scored 61 times in 51 club matches last season, the most any Bayern player has scored in one campaign, BBC Sport reported. Adding his England games, he had 73 goals and eight assists in 65 matches. The BBC said only Lionel Messi, with 82 for Barcelona and Argentina in 2011-12, has scored more in a season while playing in one of Europe's top five leagues.

He led the Bundesliga with 36 goals, 17 more than anyone else, and scored 14 in the Champions League, according to the BBC. In the German Cup final, he scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Stuttgart. Bayern won the German league and cup double.

What makes the win unusual is what he didn't win. Bayern lost in the Champions League semifinals, and England lost in the World Cup semifinals before winning the third-place match. The BBC said this is only the fifth time in 20 years that the award has gone to a player who did not win the World Cup, the Champions League, the European Championship or the Copa América that season. The other times went to Messi (three) and Cristiano Ronaldo.

His previous best Ballon d'Or finish was 10th, the BBC noted.

What did Kane say?

Kane spent several minutes thanking people, according to BBC Sport's live coverage. He thanked his Bayern teammates and sent his best wishes to Bayern coach Vincent Kompany. The Sporting News reported earlier in the evening that Kompany missed the ceremony after being taken ill last week.

He also thanked his first club. "I wouldn't be where I am today without Tottenham," he said, BBC Sport reported. He called captaining England an honor and said the team had a special year, even if it was not a perfect one.

He became emotional when thanking his parents and family, according to the BBC. He joked that it was past his children's bedtime and told them they were the reason he plays, and he thanked his wife, Kate, for her support.

Where did Mbappé, Yamal and the other contenders finish?

The organizers had not published the order of the top 10 as of about 7:15 p.m. ET. The ballondor.com ranking page listed the top 10 in alphabetical order: Ousmane Dembélé, Erling Haaland, Kane, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Michael Olise, Fabián Ruiz, Rodri and Lamine Yamal.

Places 11 through 30 were released before the ceremony, according to The Sporting News. Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham was 11th, ahead of Barcelona's Pau Cubarsí (12th), PSG's Achraf Hakimi (13th) and Vitinha (14th), and Arsenal's Declan Rice (15th). Vinícius Júnior finished 17th. Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes was 27th, and Arsenal's William Saliba and Al-Nassr's Sadio Mané tied for 29th.

From the stage, host Kate Scott described this year's vote as the closest race in years, The Sporting News reported.

Who won the women's Ballon d'Or?

Alexia Putellas won the Ballon d'Or Féminin for the third time. She captained Barcelona to four trophies in 2025-26: the Liga F title, the Copa de la Reina, the Spanish Super Cup and the Champions League, BBC Sport reported. Her third win ties the record held by her former Barcelona teammate Aitana Bonmatí, who missed most of the season with injuries. theScore noted that Putellas signed with London City Lionesses in July and that Spanish players have now won the women's award six years in a row.

"Doesn't matter where you come from. Don't listen if someone tells you, you can't do it. Believe in yourself," Putellas said in her speech, BBC Sport reported.

The top 10 in the women's vote, listed alphabetically because the order had not been published, also included Temwa Chawinga, Melchie Dumornay, Caroline Graham Hansen, Patri Guijarro, Pernille Harder, Ewa Pajor, Clàudia Pina, Alessia Russo and Khadija Shaw. US midfielder Rose Lavelle of Gotham FC finished 27th, The Sporting News reported.

Who won the other Ballon d'Or awards?

According to BBC Sport, The Sporting News and theScore, the other winners were:

• Kopa Trophy (best young player): Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain), his third in a row; Vicky López (Barcelona, Spain), her second in a row.
• Coach of the Year: Luis de la Fuente (Spain men's team); Pere Romeu (Barcelona women).
• Yashin Trophy (best goalkeeper): Unai Simón (Athletic Club, Spain); Cata Coll (Barcelona, Spain).
• Gerd Müller Trophy (top scorer): Harry Kane; Charlyn Corral (Pachuca, Mexico).
• Club of the Year: Paris Saint-Germain (men); Barcelona (women).
• Sócrates Award (social and humanitarian work): Bukayo Saka of Arsenal and England, for his charity work, including the Big Shoe charity, The Sporting News reported.

What's the Spanish and Latin American angle?

It was Spain's night outside the two top prizes. Spanish players or coaches won the first six awards handed out, The Sporting News reported, and Putellas added the women's Ballon d'Or. De la Fuente's award follows Spain's World Cup title this summer, which came after its Euro 2024 win. PSG's Club of the Year trophy also went to a team coached by Spaniard Luis Enrique.

For Latin America, the biggest prize was Corral's. The Pachuca striker, 35, scored 22 regular-season goals in the Apertura 2025, breaking her own Liga MX Femenil record, theScore reported. Mexico's Scarlett Camberos of Club América was 21st in the women's vote.

In the men's ranking, Ecuador's Willian Pacho was 20th, Argentina's Lautaro Martínez 22nd, Colombia's Luis Díaz 24th and Mexico's Julián Quiñones 28th, The Sporting News reported. Brazil's Gabriel was 21st and Marquinhos 25th. Messi, 39, is in the top 10; his exact place had not been released.

What was the website mix-up?

Hours before the ceremony, ballondor.com briefly published an article saying Kane had won. Similar articles about Mbappé and Yamal were also found, BBC Sport reported. A Ballon d'Or spokesperson told the BBC that profiles "prepared for all nominees" had been "inadvertently published" and should not be read as results. They were taken down.

What did others say?

After the ceremony, former France forward Thierry Henry said on DAZN that Kane was a worthy winner who had worked hard for what he has achieved, BBC Sport reported. Before the vote was revealed, former England striker Alan Shearer told BBC Sport that Kane deserved the award because of his remarkable numbers, and former England midfielder Danny Murphy told the BBC that Kane had been the best center forward in the world over the past year.

What we know

• Harry Kane won the 2026 men's Ballon d'Or and Alexia Putellas won the women's award, in London on Oct. 26.
• Kane scored 73 goals for club and country in 2025-26, without winning the Champions League or the World Cup.
• Spain and Barcelona won most of the other awards. Mexico's Charlyn Corral won the women's top-scorer award.

What we don't know yet

• The order of the men's and women's top 10, including who finished second.
• Full vote totals, if France Football releases them.

What happens next

The winners were due to take questions at press conferences after the ceremony, according to ballondor.com. BBC Sport noted that Kane has 16 goals in 16 games for Bayern and England this season. NewsCubby will update this story when the full rankings are published.

*Credits: reporting from BBC Sport, the Associated Press, The Sporting News, theScore, ESPN and ballondor.com (France Football). Photo: Bryan Berlin / WikiPortraits / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped; archive photo, June 23, 2026). NewsCubby articles are produced with AI assistance and reviewed by humans.*

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