Harry Kane has finally claimed football's highest individual honour. The Bayern Munich and England striker was named the 2026 Ballon d'Or winner at the London Palladium on Monday night, ending a 25-year wait for an English winner and crowning the most prolific season of his career. Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas won the women's award for the third time, capping a night dominated by Spanish football.
The ceremony — the 70th edition of the award, and the first ever staged outside Paris — arrived at the end of what had been billed as one of the most open races in years. In the end, the voters rewarded sustained, season-long excellence over single moments of brilliance, and both winners had numbers that were almost impossible to argue with.
Table of Contents
- A long wait ends for Kane
- The numbers behind the award
- Putellas returns to the summit
- A Spanish night at the Palladium
- How the Ballon d'Or is decided
- Key takeaways
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Sources
- Chronicle related reading
A long wait ends for Kane
Kane beat Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona's teenage sensation Lamine Yamal to the men's prize, CNN reported. The 33-year-old, cheered onto the stage by chants of "Harry, Harry" from a home crowd, was visibly emotional as he collected the golden ball.
"Wow, wow, wow! I am almost speechless. Being here in London has made it extra special," Kane said on stage, thanking the voters and congratulating his fellow nominees. "Some world-class players in the room tonight. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees tonight, and impressive showing determination and hard work can really achieve," he added, in remarks carried by Al Jazeera.
The London setting mattered. Kane is the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001, and doing so in his home city — after a rainy, traffic-delayed evening that pushed the ceremony back, according to CNN — gave the night a symmetry his career has often lacked. For years, Kane's goalscoring was world-class while the trophies were not. His move to Bayern Munich in 2023 changed that equation, and this award completes the transformation from great striker to decorated one.
The numbers behind the award
The case for Kane was built on volume and consistency. He scored 73 goals in 65 competitive matches for club and country across the season, CNN reported, including 61 goals in 51 games for Bayern as the German giants completed a domestic league and cup double, Al Jazeera noted.
His influence extended to the international stage. Kane scored six goals at the 2026 World Cup and drove England to a third-place finish, strengthening his case against rivals whose claims rested more narrowly on club football, Hespress reported. Mbappé, for his part, broke World Cup scoring records, and Yamal helped Spain win the tournament — yet, as Al Jazeera put it, voters ultimately chose the player "whose excellence lasted the entire season".
That framing is the award's oldest tension: the best player versus the most successful player. In 2026, the two ideas converged on Kane, whose goals arrived in every competition and in moments of genuine significance, from Bayern's title run to England's World Cup campaign.
Putellas returns to the summit
The women's award went to a familiar name. Alexia Putellas, the 32-year-old Barcelona midfielder, won the Ballon d'Or Féminin for the third time, adding to the titles she collected in 2021 and 2022. She captained Barcelona to a treble — the league title, two domestic cups and the Women's Champions League — before leaving the club in the summer after 14 years to join London City Lionesses, CNN reported.
"I don't know what to say, too many things. Congrats to all the nominees, congrats to all the winners," Putellas said on stage. "That so many Barça players were nominated says a lot about the season we had. … It was my honor to be your captain."
Her victory ended a three-year reign by her Barcelona team-mate Aitana Bonmatí, Hespress reported — a changing of the guard that is really a passing of the torch within the same all-conquering side. Putellas was, by most accounts, the heartbeat of that team, and the award recognises a season in which her influence was felt as much in build-up and leadership as on the scoresheet.
A Spanish night at the Palladium
Beyond the two headline prizes, Spain dominated the ceremony. Eight of the 13 awards went to Spanish players, coaches or a Spanish club, USA Today reported.
The full list of winners underlines the scale of that dominance:
- Men's Kopa Trophy (best young player): Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) — his third consecutive win
- Women's Kopa Trophy: Vicky López (Barcelona)
- Men's Yashin Trophy (best goalkeeper): Unai Simón (Athletic Bilbao)
- Women's Yashin Trophy: Cata Coll (Barcelona)
- Men's Johan Cruyff Trophy (best coach): Luis de la Fuente (Spain), after guiding his country to the World Cup title
- Women's Johan Cruyff Trophy: Pere Romeu (Barcelona)
- Men's Gerd Müller Trophy (top scorer): Harry Kane
- Women's Gerd Müller Trophy: Charlyn Corral (Pachuca)
- Men's Club of the Year: Paris Saint-Germain
- Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
- Socrates Award: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Morocco also had a presence on the night, with three players shortlisted across categories: Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi finished 13th in the men's Ballon d'Or ranking, Manchester City midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi placed sixth in the young-player vote, and Al-Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou finished eighth in the Yashin Trophy voting, Hespress reported.
How the Ballon d'Or is decided
The Ballon d'Or is voted on by journalists: 100 voters for the men's award, drawn from FIFA's top 100 ranked nations, and 50 for the women's award. Each voter selects a top 10 from a 30-player shortlist, with points awarded on a sliding scale from 15 for first place down to one for tenth. France Football ranks three criteria in order of importance: individual performance and decisive impact, team success and trophies won, and professionalism and fair play.
One quirk of the modern ceremony shaped the night's drama: since 2024, winners are no longer told in advance. Every nominee arrives at the venue not knowing whether they have won, which is why Kane's disbelief on stage — "Wow, wow, wow!" — was genuine rather than performed.
Key takeaways
- Harry Kane won the 2026 men's Ballon d'Or in London, the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001.
- Kane scored 73 goals for club and country in the season, including 61 for Bayern Munich in a league and cup double campaign, and led England to third place at the 2026 World Cup.
- Alexia Putellas won the women's Ballon d'Or for the third time after captaining Barcelona to a treble before joining London City Lionesses.
- Spain dominated the ceremony, taking eight of the 13 awards, including both coaching prizes and the women's Club of the Year award.
- Lamine Yamal won the men's Kopa Trophy for a third consecutive year; Bukayo Saka received the Socrates Award.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2026 Ballon d'Or?
Harry Kane won the men's award and Alexia Putellas won the women's award at the ceremony held at the London Palladium on 26 October 2026. Kane beat Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal to the men's prize.
Why is Kane's win significant for England?
Kane is the first Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001 — a 25-year gap. He is also England's all-time leading scorer and the team's record World Cup scorer, so the award caps a career that had long combined individual brilliance with a missing trophy cabinet.
How many goals did Harry Kane score last season?
Kane scored 73 goals in 65 competitive matches for club and country, including 61 goals in 51 games for Bayern Munich, who won the Bundesliga and German Cup double. He also scored six goals at the 2026 World Cup.
How many times has Alexia Putellas won the women's Ballon d'Or?
Three times. Putellas previously won the award in 2021 and 2022, and her 2026 victory followed a treble-winning season as Barcelona captain before her summer move to London City Lionesses.
How is the Ballon d'Or voted on?
Journalists vote from a 30-player shortlist: 100 voters for the men's award and 50 for the women's. Each voter ranks a top 10, with 15 points for first place down to one point for tenth. Since 2024, winners are not told the result before the ceremony.
Sources
- Al Jazeera — England's Harry Kane wins Ballon d'Or, Alexia Putellas takes women's award
- CNN — Harry Kane and Alèxia Putellas win men's and women's Ballon d'Or awards
- USA Today — Ballon d'Or 2026: full list of winners
- Hespress — Harry Kane wins 2026 Ballon d'Or, Alexia Putellas claims third women's title
