Harry Kane and Alexia Putellas emerged as the biggest winners at the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony, held at the London Palladium on Monday, October 26, as organisers France Football staged the 70th edition of football’s most prestigious individual award in the British capital for the first time, with Thierry Henry and Kate Scott hosting.
Kane won the men’s award after a remarkable season with Bayern Munich and England, becoming the first Englishman to claim the prize since Michael Owen in 2001 and ending what the Guardian’s match report described as England’s 25-year wait. According to figures cited by AS USA, he scored 73 goals across all competitions for club and country, 36 of them in the Bundesliga and 14 in the Champions League, and claimed the European Golden Shoe. He also took the men’s Best Striker award, the Gerd Müller Trophy, for the second time after sharing it with Kylian Mbappé in 2024, and his 73-goal tally set a new record for the striker’s award, surpassing Robert Lewandowski’s mark of 69 from 2021.
Putellas claimed the women’s Ballon d’Or for the third time in her career, adding to the awards she won in 2021 and 2022. Her latest triumph followed a successful season with Barcelona before her move to London City Lionesses.
The awards crowned Spain’s triumph at this year’s World Cup. Luis de la Fuente won the men’s Coach of the Year award after guiding La Roja to world glory in North America, while Barcelona’s Pere Romeu took the women’s equivalent. Unai Simón of Athletic Club was named men’s Goalkeeper of the Year after conceding once in the tournament and setting a record of 650 consecutive minutes without letting in a goal, figures cited by AS USA, with Barcelona’s Cata Coll winning the women’s award.
Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal, who helped Spain win the World Cup, won the men’s Young Talent of the Year award, the Kopa Trophy, for the third consecutive year. He used his acceptance speech to argue that the honour belonged to a teammate.
“I would have liked (Pau) Cubarsi, my team-mate, to be here because I think this prize should have been for him, he deserved it,” Yamal said, before thanking his Barcelona and Spain teammates and pledging to keep working towards more collective and individual honours.
Barcelona’s Vicky Lopez retained the women’s Young Talent of the Year award, having won the inaugural edition in 2025. Bukayo Saka of Arsenal received the Socrates Award in recognition of his humanitarian work, notably with the Big Shoe charity according to AS USA, while Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona were named men’s and women’s Club of the Year respectively.
The final ranking released by the organisers placed Kane ahead of Mbappé of Real Madrid and Yamal. Ballon d’Or winner Rodri was fourth, followed by Lionel Messi of Inter Miami, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of Paris Saint-Germain, Ousmane Dembele, Erling Haaland of Manchester City, Michael Olise of Bayern Munich and Fabian Ruiz of Paris Saint-Germain.
The full list of winners announced by France Football:
Men’s Ballon d’Or: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich/England)
Women’s Ballon d’Or: Alexia Putellas (London City Lionesses/Spain)
Men’s Young Talent of the Year, Kopa Trophy: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain)
Women’s Young Talent of the Year: Vicky Lopez (Barcelona/Spain)
Men’s Coach of the Year: Luis de la Fuente (Spain)
Women’s Coach of the Year: Pere Romeu (Barcelona)
Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year, Yashin Trophy: Unai Simon (Athletic Club/Spain)
Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year: Cata Coll (Barcelona/Spain)
Men’s Best Striker, Gerd Müller Trophy: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich/England)
Women’s Best Striker: Charlyn Corral (Pachuca/Mexico)
Socrates Award: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal/England)
Men’s Club of the Year: Paris Saint-Germain
Women’s Club of the Year: Barcelona
Kane, who captained England to a World Cup semi-final during the year, received the trophy from Brazilian great Ronaldo Nazario, according to the ceremony coverage. Corral, meanwhile, became the first Mexican player honoured at the Ballon d’Or, per AS USA, and the evening ended a 25-year wait for an English winner of the men’s award.