Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d’Or at the 70th ceremony in London, becoming the first Englishman to take the award since Michael Owen in 2001. The Bayern Munich striker, 33, scored 73 goals for club and country last season and finished ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal.
London, England: For the first time in its history, the Ballon d’Or was handed out in London rather than Paris, and the night produced the English winner the award had been missing for a quarter of a century.
A gala built around English football
The 70th ceremony took place on Monday at the London Palladium Theatre, a venue chosen to honour Sir Stanley Matthews, the first winner of the award in 1956. France Football presents the Ballon d’Or and UEFA has co-organised it since 2024. Kane’s win is the first by an Englishman since Owen’s in 2001, and at 33 he joins the older end of the roll of winners.
The season that settled it
Kane’s numbers did the arguing. He scored 73 goals for Bayern and England across the 2025-26 season, including 36 in the Bundesliga, where he finished as top scorer for the third season running since joining from Tottenham in 2023. He added 14 goals in the Champions League as Bayern reached the semi-finals, and the club won the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal.
The international summer completed the case. Kane scored six goals at the World Cup as England reached the semi-finals and finished third, a tournament that Spain won. He was also named Men’s Striker of the Year at the same ceremony. His form has carried into the new season: he scored a penalty in Bayern’s 2-2 Champions League draw with Arsenal, and he reached a record-equalling 125th England cap in a 3-0 win over the Czech Republic.
The voters and the rest of the podium
The award is decided by journalists, each of whom ranks ten players from a shortlist of 30. Mbappé and Yamal completed the top three behind Kane. Yamal also took the young talent award, while Spain’s World Cup-winning coach Luis de la Fuente was named Coach of the Year and Unai Simón won the goalkeeper prize. Alexia Putellas won the women’s Ballon d’Or.
Kane’s thanks
On stage, Kane thanked the voters and the organisers, his Bayern team-mates and staff, and his England squad alongside manager Thomas Tuchel and the Football Association. He singled out Tottenham, the club he joined at the age of 11, saying he would not be where he is without Spurs, and he thanked his family. At the World Cup, England had needed his late brace to rescue them against DR Congo; this time the late rewards were his.
Result summary: Ballon d’Or 2026, London Palladium Theatre, Monday 26 October 2026.
Men’s Ballon d’Or: 1. Harry Kane (England, Bayern Munich); Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal completed the top three. Women’s Ballon d’Or: Alexia Putellas. Men’s Striker of the Year: Kane. Men’s Young Talent: Yamal. Goalkeeper: Unai Simón. Coach: Luis de la Fuente.
