Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d'Or with a lead of just 28 points over runner-up Kylian Mbappé of France. The detailed rankings, released by France Football magazine on October 30, 2026, revealed that the Englishman totaled 1,055 points, while the Real Madrid player accumulated 1,027 points. The awards ceremony took place on October 26, 2026. Kane, 33, was the first choice for 40 of the 100 jurors on the voting panel, which is composed of journalists from the nations best positioned in the FIFA rankings. Mbappé, meanwhile, was the top choice for 23 jury members. Third place went to Spaniard Lamine Yamal of Barcelona, who finished with 881 points. This year's contest was significantly tighter than the previous one. In 2025, Ousmane Dembélé won the award with a 321-point lead over the runner-up. The Ballon d'Or scoring system considers the selection of the 10 best players from the 30 finalists, with points ranging from 15 for first place to 1 for tenth place.
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Harry Kane wins Ballon d'Or with 28-point lead over Mbappé
The English striker narrowly beat the Frenchman in the France Football vote, becoming the first English player to win the award since 2001.
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