Harry Kane crowned 2026 Men’s Ballon d’Or Winner

England captain and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane has officially won the 2026 Men’s Ballon d’Or, claiming football’s highest individual honor at a ceremony hosted at the London Palladium on Monday evening.

Kane, 33, saw off fierce competition from Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé to secure the award. In doing so, he becomes the first English footballer to win the Ballon d’Or in 25 years, following Michael Owen’s victory in 2001. He joins a historic roster of English winners that includes Sir Stanley Matthews, Sir Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan, and Owen.

Presented by legendary Brazilian striker Ronaldo (R9), the trophy caps off a record-breaking 2025–26 season in which Kane scored 73 total goals across all competitions for club and country (61 for Bayern Munich and 12 for England). In addition to taking home the main honor, Kane was also awarded the Men’s Striker of the Year trophy earlier in the night.

Summary of Key Winners (2026 Ballon d’Or Ceremony)

Category	Winner	Team / Country
Men’s Ballon d’Or	Harry Kane	Bayern Munich / 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England
Women’s Ballon d’Or	Alexia Putellas	Barcelona / 🇪🇸 Spain
Men’s Striker of the Year	Harry Kane	Bayern Munich / 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England
Men’s Young Talent (Kopa)	Lamine Yamal	Barcelona / 🇪🇸 Spain
Men’s Goalkeeper (Yachine)	Unai Simón	Athletic Bilbao / 🇪🇸 Spain
Men’s Coach of the Year	Luis de la Fuente	🇪🇸 Spain National Team

“I am almost speechless. Being here in London has made it extra special… Made it a good omen for me tonight. Thank you to everyone who voted for me. To score this amount of goals is a total team effort.” — Harry Kane upon accepting the award at the London Palladium.

Historic Season in Bavaria

Kane’s landmark achievement follows a campaign where he helped guide Bayern Munich to a domestic sweep, capturing the Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal, and the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup. His 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern, paired with his playmaker role and leadership for England, cemented his standing as the global game’s top performer this past year.