Ballon d’Or 2026 Winners: Kane and Yamal Lead the List
Harry Kane has won the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or, becoming the first Englishman to take the award since Michael Owen in 2001, while Lamine Yamal won the men’s Kopa Trophy for the third year running. The ceremony took place in London on Monday, October 26, 2026, according to ESPN.
Men’s top honours
ESPN reports that Kane, who plays for Bayern Munich and England, beat Kylian Mbappé into second place, with Yamal third, Rodri fourth and Lionel Messi fifth in the men’s rankings. The award was staged in London, rather than Paris, to mark 70 years since Stanley Matthews won the first one.
According to Yahoo Sports, Kane joins Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Owen as English winners. The report credits him with 73 goals in the 2025-26 season, and says Yamal’s third consecutive Kopa Trophy came after Spain won the World Cup in North America.
Women’s top honours
Yahoo Sports reports that Barcelona and Spain’s Alexia Putellas won the women’s Ballon d’Or for a third time. The Big Lead says she contributed seven goals and seven assists in 11 Champions League appearances, as Barcelona won a historic quadruple.
ESPN adds that Kane and Charlyn Corral received the Gerd Müller Trophies for the top male and female strikers. Vicky López of Barcelona won the women’s Kopa Trophy, according to Business Standard.
Full list of 2026 winners
Business Standard and Yahoo Sports list the winners as follows. Men’s Ballon d’Or: Harry Kane. Women’s Ballon d’Or: Alexia Putellas. Men’s Kopa Trophy: Lamine Yamal. Women’s Kopa Trophy: Vicky López. Men’s Yashin Trophy for goalkeeper: Unai Simón of Athletic Bilbao. Women’s Yashin Trophy: Cata Coll of Barcelona.
Men’s Gerd Müller Trophy for striker: Kane. Women’s Gerd Müller Trophy: Charlyn Corral of Pachuca. Sócrates Award: Bukayo Saka of Arsenal. Men’s Club of the Year: Paris Saint-Germain. Women’s Club of the Year: Barcelona.
DAZN lists the coaching awards as Luis de la Fuente of Spain for men’s Coach of the Year and Pere Romeu of Barcelona for women’s Coach of the Year.
Background
Business Standard says Kane won his first men’s Ballon d’Or after a remarkable 2025-26 season with Bayern Munich and England. Tempo reports he scored 73 goals in 65 matches. The Sócrates Award, which UEFA’s ceremony preview says recognises solidarity work, went to Saka.
The nominees were unveiled on September 8, 2026, with Kane named as the bookmakers’ favourite at the time by Sky Sports. ESPN also reports that the Ballon d’Or website briefly published Kane, Yamal and Mbappé as winners in error, in what it called a blunder. The correct men’s winner is Kane.
Quick timeline:
- September 8, 2026: Nominees unveiled, per GiveMeSport.
- October 26, 2026: Ceremony takes place in London.
What happens next
The sources reviewed do not report official statements from Kane or Yamal at the time of writing. Readers should check the official Ballon d’Or website for the full rankings and for any later updates.
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