Harry Kane Wins Ballon d’Or 2026: England’s First Winner Since 2001

Harry Kane has won the 2026 Ballon d’Or at the London Palladium, ending England’s 25-year wait for a winner. Alexia Putellas won the women’s award for a third time.

Harry Kane is the 2026 Ballon d’Or winner. The Bayern Munich and England striker was crowned the best men’s player in the world at the London Palladium on Monday night, beating Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe to the award on its 70th anniversary.

Kane is the first Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001, and only the fifth in its history. It was fitting that the moment came in London, at a ceremony held there to honour Stanley Matthews, England’s first winner in 1956. The England Captain also won the Men’s Striker of the Year award for most goals scored.

Alexia Putellas won the Women’s Ballon d’Or, adding a third title to the ones she won in 2021 and 2022.

Harry Kane ends England’s 25-year wait

Kane went into the night as the bookmakers’ favourite, having overtaken Yamal in the betting in the weeks before the ceremony. Even so, a late surge for Mbappe suggested the vote could be tight, and there were no guarantees until Owen read out the name.

It was a big night for Kane in more than one category. Before the main award, he collected the Men’s Striker of the Year prize, formerly the Gerd Muller Trophy, which goes to the top scorer across all competitive matches in the voting season. Accepting it, he said:

“This has been the best season of my career.”

Harry Kane, accepting the Men’s Striker of the Year award

Kane also paid tribute to Tottenham Hotspur, the club where he came through the academy and spent the first part of his career.

“I want to say thank you to Tottenham Hotspur, as well. I wouldn’t be where I am today without Tottenham, for sure. I was there from 11 years old. (With) all the guidance, the coaches, you allowed me to live my dream. So, for sure, without all those moments together, all the ups and down along the way of that journey has led me to this moment here today. So I just want to say thank you to Tottenham Hotspur.”

Harry Kane, on stage at the London Palladium

For a player whose career was defined for so long by individual records without major trophies, the Ballon d’Or is the clearest possible recognition that his move to Germany has paid off.

The first Bundesliga winner in 30 years

Kane’s win also ends a long drought for German football. He is the first player based in the Bundesliga to win the award since Matthias Sammer of Borussia Dortmund in 1996, and the first Bayern Munich player to win it since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981.

Alexia Putellas wins her third Women’s Ballon d’Or

Putellas was the clear favourite for the women’s prize and duly delivered. Her third win puts the Spain midfielder, who left Barcelona for London City Lionesses, among the most decorated players in the award’s short history. It is her first win since 2022.

Arsenal and England striker Alessia Russo made the women’s top 10, while Manchester City’s Alex Greenwood finished 26th.

Ballon d’Or 2026: every award winner

Spanish players and coaches dominated the individual awards, taking seven of the 11 individual prizes. Barcelona’s influence ran through the women’s categories in particular.

Bukayo Saka’s Socrates Award, for humanitarian and charity work, means England provided two of the night’s winners. Yamal had to settle for the Young Talent award again, so the record of no teenager ever winning the main prize survives.

Ballon d’Or 2026 men’s rankings

Kane topped a top 10 that also included Mbappe, Yamal, holder Ousmane Dembele, Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi. Exact placings from second to 10th had not been confirmed when this article was published, so the rest of the top 10 is listed alphabetically.

Positions 11 to 30

Vinicius Junior, runner-up in 2024, dropped to 17th. Jude Bellingham just missed the top 10 in 11th, and Declan Rice was the third Englishman on the list in 15th. Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes finished 27th.

Women’s Ballon d’Or 2026 rankings

Putellas won ahead of a top 10 that included four Barcelona players. As with the men’s list, placings from second to 10th were not confirmed at the time of publication.

England’s Ballon d’Or winners

Kane joins an elite group of English winners, and is the seventh British player to lift the golden ball.

Kane follows Keegan as the second Englishman to win the award while playing abroad. Keegan, who died in July, was based in Germany too.

A night of firsts at the London Palladium

The 70th Ballon d’Or was the first held in London. Kate Scott and Thierry Henry hosted, and the start was delayed because traffic in the capital held up some of the players and guests.

The build-up was not without drama. Earlier in the day, the official Ballon d’Or website briefly published articles naming Kane as the winner, along with similar pieces for Mbappe and Yamal. They were quickly taken down, and organisers said they had simply prepared for every possible outcome.

The night’s other awards carry names from football history. The goalkeeping prize was originally named after Lev Yashin, the only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d’Or, and the coaching award after Johan Cruyff. Saka’s award is named after the Brazil captain Socrates. For more on the players who have shaped 70 years of the award, browse our legendary players profiles.