Harry Kane has won the men's Ballon d'Or and Alexia Putellas the women's award, at a ceremony held at the London Palladium on 26 October 2026. It was the 70th edition of the award, presented by France Football and hosted by Kate Scott and Thierry Henry. Ronaldo announced Kane's name to enormous cheers from the London crowd.

The winners

Men's Ballon d'Or: Harry Kane (England, Bayern Munich at the time of the vote)

Women's Ballon d'Or: Alexia Putellas (Spain, FC Barcelona at the time of the vote, now London City Lionesses)

Harry Kane wins his first Ballon d'Or

Kane collected 1,055 points and 40 first-place votes, against 1,027 points and 23 first-place votes for Kylian Mbappé, a gap of 28 points. Lamine Yamal finished third with 881 points. He becomes the fifth Englishman to win the award, 25 years after Michael Owen, and the fourth Bayern Munich player to win it.

The England captain scored 73 goals in 65 games for club and country last season, helping Bayern Munich to a league and cup double and England to the World Cup semi-finals. For Bayern alone he scored 61 goals in all competitions, including 36 in 31 Bundesliga games, while England finished third at the World Cup. The award arrives at 33, after a career in which he had never finished higher than tenth in the Ballon d'Or vote. He also won the men's Striker of the Year award on the night.

Alexia Putellas wins her third Ballon d'Or

Putellas won with 618 points, 86 ahead of Ewa Pajor, and was picked first by 28 of the 50 judges. Khadija Shaw finished third with 344 points. It is her third Ballon d'Or, after 2021 and 2022, and it puts her level with Aitana Bonmatí as a three-time winner.

She won the domestic quadruple and the UEFA Women's Champions League with Barcelona in 2025-26 before joining London City Lionesses in July. In the Champions League she contributed seven goals and seven assists in 11 appearances. Her win also marks a comeback to the top of the women's game after a serious injury.

Ballon d'Or 2026 Reactions

“Work hard in silence. Let success be your noise.”

Harry Kane: he said on stage, adding that winning in London felt like "a good omen." He thanked the voters, acknowledged how strong the field was, and thanked England, Bayern Munich and his former club Tottenham, as well as his wife Kate, whom he called his best friend.

He said his path was not straightforward, with many loan spells, and hoped it could inspire young players. Afterwards he described the award as beyond his wildest dreams and said he would try to win it again next year.

And concluded : “Work hard in silence. Let success be your noise.”

Alexia Putellas: "Congrats to all the nominees, congrats to all the winners," she said in her acceptance speech. She also thanked her coach, her staff, the medical teams and the fans for 14 years of respect and love.

“It will come. Good things take time, and I trust the path I’m building. No rush, with enthusiasm and with the certainty that one day, my time will come.

Lamine Yamal: On stage, Yamal also said he would have liked to see his Barcelona teammate Pau Cubarsí there, because he felt the Young Talent of the Year prize should have been his. The day after the ceremony, he posted a message on Instagram, congratulating the winners and looking ahead: “It will come. Good things take time, and I trust the path I’m building. No rush, with enthusiasm and with the certainty that one day, my time will come.

France Football: editor-in-chief Vincent Garcia said Mbappé was ahead for most of the voting period before Kane came back strongly, and that the gap was smaller than the 41 points between Rodri and Vinícius Júnior in 2024. He also believes Rodri took votes from Yamal, as the Spanish World Cup winners split the vote between them.

How the vote worked

Journalists on the France Football panel, 100 for the men's award and 50 for the women's, each picked a top 10 from 30 nominees. Kane appeared in the top ten on 98 of the 100 ballots, Mbappé on 97.

Ballon d'Or 2026 : Men's ranking

Harry Kane (England, Bayern Munich), 1,055 points.

Kylian Mbappé (France, Real Madrid), 1,027 pts.

Lamine Yamal (Spain, FC Barcelona), 881 pts.

Rodri (Spain, Manchester City, FC Barcelona since August 2026), 726 pts.

Lionel Messi (Argentina, Inter Miami), 612 pts.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia, Paris Saint-Germain), 541 pts.

Ousmane Dembélé (France, Paris Saint-Germain), 418 pts.

Erling Haaland (Norway, Manchester City), 378 pts.

Michael Olise (France, Bayern Munich), 296 pts.

Fabian Ruiz (Spain, Paris Saint-Germain), 201 pts.

Jude Bellingham finished 11th and Pau Cubarsí 12th. Ousmane Dembélé, the 2025 winner, ended seventh.

Ballon d'Or 2026: Women's ranking

Alexia Putellas (Spain, FC Barcelona), 618 points.

Ewa Pajor (Poland, FC Barcelona), 532 pts.

Khadija Shaw (Jamaica, Manchester City), 344 pts.

Melchie Dumornay (Haiti, OL Lyonnes), 342 pts.

Patri Guijarro (Spain, FC Barcelona), 221 pts.

Caroline Graham Hansen (Norway, FC Barcelona), 220 pts.

Pernille Harder (Denmark, Bayern Munich), 220 pts.

Claudia Pina (Spain, FC Barcelona), 155 pts.

Alessia Russo (England, Arsenal), 155 pts.

Temwa Chawinga (Malawi, Kansas City Current), 113 pts.

All the 2026 winners

Young Talent of the Year: Lamine Yamal (men, third year in a row), Vicky López (women, second year in a row)

Goalkeeper of the Year: Unai Simón (men), Cata Coll (women)

Striker of the Year: Harry Kane (men), Charlyn Corral (women)

Coach of the Year: Luis de la Fuente (men, Spain national team), Pere Romeu (women, FC Barcelona)

Club of the Year: Paris Saint-Germain (men), FC Barcelona (women)

Socrates Award: Bukayo Saka, honoured for his humanitarian work with the BigShoe charity.

Spain did particularly well in the coaching and goalkeeper categories. Unai Simón was rewarded after keeping seven clean sheets at the World Cup.

FAQ

Who won the Ballon d'Or 2026? Harry Kane (men) and Alexia Putellas (women).

Where was the 2026 ceremony? At the London Palladium, on 26 October 2026.

Who finished second and third? Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal (men), Ewa Pajor and Khadija Shaw (women).

How close was the men's vote? 28 points separated Kane and Mbappé.

Who presented the men's award? Ronaldo.