Harry Kane Beats Mbappe to Ballon d’Or by 28 Points

Harry Kane has won the Ballon d’Or 2026, edging Kylian Mbappe by 28 points in one of the closest votes in recent years. The Bayern Munich striker finished with 1,055 points to Mbappe’s 1,027, and the official figures show how narrowly the 100-member jury was divided.

Kane collected the trophy at the London Palladium, becoming the first Englishman to win since Michael Owen in 2001. He scored 73 goals for Bayern and England in 2025-26, helped Bayern win a domestic Treble and captained England to third place at the World Cup. He topped 40 of the 100 ballots, while Mbappe was ranked first on 23.

How the Voting Worked

Journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings each picked 10 players from 30 nominees, awarding 15 points for first place down to one for tenth. The maximum score was 1,500, so Kane’s total was more than two-thirds of what was available. Mbappe, in his first attempt, narrowly missed out. Kane’s margin was smaller than the 41-point gap between Rodri and Vinicius Junior in 2024, though still wider than Lionel Messi’s seven-point win over Virgil van Dijk in 2019.

Lamine Yamal finished third with 881 points, followed by Rodri on 726 and Messi on 612. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele, Erling Haaland, Michael Olise and Fabian Ruiz completed the top 10.

Putellas Makes History

In the women’s award, Alexia Putellas won for a third time, equalling the record held by her Spain team-mate Aitana Bonmati. She polled 618 points, 86 ahead of Ewa Pajor on 532. Bunny Shaw took third with 334, just two more than Melchie Dumornay. Caroline Graham Hansen and Pernille Harder tied on 220, and Graham Hansen was placed higher on first-place votes.