Harry Kane wins the 2026 Ballon d'Or at ceremony in London

English striker Harry Kane was officially declared the winner of the 2026 Ballon d'Or during a ceremony held on Monday, October 26, at the London Palladium. The Bayern Munich forward triumphed over strong competition from finalists Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé to claim the 70th edition of the world's most prestigious individual football honor.

Kane enters history as the first English winner of the award since Michael Owen in 2001. The milestone coincided with the ceremony taking place in the United Kingdom for the first time, a location chosen to honor English football legend Stanley Matthews, who won the inaugural Ballon d'Or back in 1956. At 33 years old, Kane also becomes one of the oldest recipients in the history of the accolade.

The award capped off an extraordinary 2025/26 campaign for the forward. Across 65 appearances for club and country, Kane found the back of the net 73 times, including 61 goals in 51 matches for Bayern Munich. His 36 goals in 31 Bundesliga matches secured him the league's top scorer title for the third consecutive season, helping his German club capture both the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal.

On the international stage, Kane captained the England national team to a fourth-place finish at the 2026 World Cup, contributing six goals and one assist during the tournament. England ultimately reached the semifinals before falling to Argentina, later securing third place with a victory over France.

Meanwhile, eight-time winner Lionel Messi finished fifth in the 2026 rankings following a stellar World Cup campaign where he led Argentina to the final and scored eight goals. Despite his high finish at 39 years old, Messi did not attend the London gala, choosing instead to remain in Miami to oversee a youth tournament and prepare for upcoming club duties with Inter Miami.

The evening also featured a clean sweep of awards by Spanish football following the nation's World Cup victory. Lamine Yamal collected his third consecutive Kopa Trophy as the best men's young player, while Spain manager Luis de la Fuente received the Johan Cruyff Trophy as men's Coach of the Year. Goalkeeper Unai Simón rounded out the men's honors by winning the Yashin Trophy after conceding just once during Spain's run to the world title.

In the women's categories, Alexia Putellas claimed her third women's Ballon d'Or following a historic final season with Barcelona that included a domestic sweep and a Women's Champions League title. Putellas scored 21 goals and provided 13 assists across all competitions before departing the club to join the London City Lionesses.