Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d'Or on Monday 26 October 2026, becoming the first Englishman to claim football's most prestigious individual prize since Michael Owen in 2001.

The England captain and Bayern Munich striker was crowned at a ceremony in London, his home city, after a prolific season in which he scored 73 goals in 65 competitive matches for club and country, according to USA Today. He beat France star Kylian Mbappe and Spain star Lamine Yamal to the award, which is voted on by journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings. Kane also won the Gerd Muller Trophy for the best men's striker of the season.

A season of silverware

Kane helped Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal, and led England to a third-place finish at the 2026 World Cup, scoring six goals at the tournament. Reuters reported he scored 61 goals in 51 games for Bayern across all competitions as the German side completed a domestic league and cup double. The ceremony took place at the London Palladium, marking the 70th anniversary of Stanley Matthews becoming the first Ballon d'Or winner.

Putellas takes the women's prize

Alexia Putellas won the women's Ballon d'Or for the third time after captaining Barcelona Femeni to a quadruple of trophies, including the Women's Champions League. Kane, 33, told the London crowd it being in London had made the win extra special, and thanked everyone who voted for him.

Sources: Reuters and USA Today.