Ballon d’Or 2026: Harry Kane Wins Football’s Biggest Prize as Putellas Takes Women’s Award

Moreover, Kane is the first Englishman to win since Michael Owen in 2001. He also collected the Gerd Muller Trophy as the year’s leading striker, making it a double on the night.

Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe finished second and Lamine Yamal third. Alexia Putellas won the women’s award for the third time.

By comparison, Dembele, who won the award last year, dropped to seventh. Messi finished fifth in what is expected to be among his final appearances in the running, months after he retired from international football with Argentina.

In the women’s vote, Alexia Putellas of Barcelona and Spain won the Ballon d’Or Feminin. It is her third, and her first in four years, after back-to-back wins in 2021 and 2022.

Overall, Barcelona dominated the women’s categories. The club was named women’s club of the year, its coach Pere Romeu took women’s coach of the year, goalkeeper Cata Coll won the women’s goalkeeper award and Vicky Lopez was named women’s young talent of the year.

In addition, Bukayo Saka of Arsenal won the Socrates Award, which recognises players for humanitarian and social work. Similarly, Unai Simon of Athletic Bilbao took the men’s goalkeeper prize, and Charlyn Corral of Pachuca and Mexico won the women’s striker award.

Besides, organisers staged the Ballon d’Or 2026 at the London Palladium rather than in Paris, where it has been held throughout its modern history. Specifically, the move marked 70 years since Stanley Matthews, an Englishman, won the very first award in 1956.

Meanwhile, Kate Scott and Thierry Henry hosted the evening. For this reason the symmetry was hard to miss: an English venue, an English anniversary and, by the end of the night, an English winner.

By contrast, no African player finished in the men’s top 10. In fact, only two made the 30-man shortlist in the first place, Achraf Hakimi of Morocco and Sadio Mane of Senegal, which is among the lowest African representation the award has recorded.

Indeed, for Nigerian readers, the shortlist itself was the story. We reported in September that Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman both missed the cut, leaving the country without a nominee. Our preview explained how the voting works and which Africans were in contention.

Still, a Nigerian thread runs through the night. Notably, Saka, the Socrates Award winner, was born in London to Nigerian parents and has spoken often about that heritage. Meanwhile, the absence of a Nigerian nominee lands in a season when the Super Eagles squad is being rebuilt around a younger forward line.

Kane’s win reads as a reward for sustained scoring rather than a single tournament moment. In particular, he took the striker award alongside the main prize, which is unusual and points to voters settling on him as the year’s most complete finisher.

Mbappe’s second place continues a pattern. He has now finished near the top without winning, and at 27 he remains the most likely challenger next year. Likewise, Yamal, third at 19 and the Kopa winner for a second time, is the name most voters expect to take the award eventually.

Furthermore, Paris Saint-Germain supplied three of the top 10 and were named men’s club of the year, a reflection of a squad that has carried French and European competition. Still, the individual prize went elsewhere.

The full rankings and category results were published by ESPN as the ceremony closed.

For wider context on how the game’s balance of power is shifting, see our analysis of what Messi’s retirement means for African football.

Harry Kane of Bayern Munich and England won the men’s award. He is the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001.

Specifically, Kylian Mbappe of France was second and Lamine Yamal of Spain was third.

Alexia Putellas of Barcelona and Spain, her third win and her first in four years.

Specifically, at the London Palladium on Monday 26 October 2026, the first time the award has been presented outside Paris.

No. In fact, Achraf Hakimi and Sadio Mane were the only Africans on the 30-man shortlist, and neither finished in the top 10.

No. Indeed, Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman both missed the shortlist. Bukayo Saka, who was born in London to Nigerian parents, won the Socrates Award.

Lamine Yamal took the men’s young talent award, and Vicky Lopez won the women’s equivalent.

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Recommend Story 0 Share: About the author Anthony Dahn West Africa Correspondent Monrovia, Liberia

Anthony Dahn is a Liberian journalist and communications professional with more than a decade of experience working across radio, television, print and digital media. His… Read full bio →

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