England captain Harry Kane has won the 2026 Ballon d’Or, beating fellow contenders Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé to claim football’s most prestigious individual honour.
The Bayern Munich striker was announced as the winner at the awards ceremony held at the London Palladium Theatre in London on Monday, October 26.
The award marks a major personal achievement for Kane, whose goalscoring performances for Bayern Munich and the England national team have strengthened his standing among the world’s leading forwards.
Kane’s victory follows an impressive campaign in which he combined his finishing ability with his contribution to his team’s attacking play.
The England international faced competition from some of the biggest names in world football, including Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé.
The Ballon d’Or, established by France Football in 1956 and co-organised with UEFA since 2024, recognises the outstanding footballer of the assessment period.
Kane’s triumph adds to an already distinguished career in which he has become England’s all-time leading goalscorer and established himself as one of Europe’s most prolific strikers.
His emergence as the 2026 winner also gives English football another major milestone, with the award returning to an English player for the first time since Michael Owen won it in 2001.
