The 2026 Ballon d'Or voting results have been announced, and it has been revealed that England forward Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), who won the award for the first time, won by just 28 points over French forward Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), who came in second place. Spanish newspaper Marca reported that this difference was the fourth smallest in history.
The Ballon d'Or award will be decided by a jury of 100 soccer journalists, one selected from each country. The scoring system is 15 points for 1st place votes, 12 points for 2nd place votes, 10 points for 3rd place votes, and 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 points thereafter. Kane received 40 first-place votes for a total of 1,055 points. Mbappé, on the other hand, only received 23 first-place votes and a total of 1,027 points. As a result, Kane won with just 28 points.
Spain national team forward Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) took third place with 881 points, fourth place went to Spain national team midfielder Rodri (Manchester City -> Barcelona) with 726 points, and fifth place went to former Argentina national team forward Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) with 612 points. These numbers show just how competitive this year's Ballon d'Or was.
With this award, Kane becomes the first England player to win the Ballon d'Or. In an interview, he expressed his gratitude to his teammates and coaches, saying, ``I'm grateful that they recognized my growth.'' Mbappe said, ``There is still room for growth,'' and expressed his determination for the next tournament.
Kane will now complete his season with Bayern Munich and continue his international career with Europe. Mbappe is expected to further improve his play at Real Madrid and prepare for the next Ballon d'Or. Both players will be attracting attention for their performance in international tournaments and club competitions in 2026.