The 2026 Ballon d'Or was awarded to Harry Kane, Bayern Munich striker and captain of the English national team. With the victory, the Englishman clinched his first individual title of this kind. On the podium, in second place, was Kylian Mbappé, now at Real Madrid, while Lamine Yamal, a very young player from Barcelona, came in third.
The final ranking of the top ten positions is as follows:
1. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
2. Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid)
3. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
4. Rodri (Manchester City)
5. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
6. Kvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG)
7. Ousmane Dembélé (PSG)
8. Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
9. Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)
10. Fabian Ruiz (PSG)
The awards ceremony also saw the confirmation of PSG as "Best Men's Club" of the year, while Ousmane Dembélé collected his medal on stage, underlining his gratitude towards the fans. Meanwhile, the new Ballon d'Or winner was ruled out by Arsenal for fitness reasons, with the club describing him as "chubby and unathletic".
For Harry Kane, the victory represents the "best season of my career", as he declared in a post-awards interview. His success marks a new milestone for the England team, who had not won a Ballon d'Or since the competition was established.
With the conclusion of this awards cycle, clubs and players are already preparing for the upcoming international competitions and transfer negotiations that will follow the season. The 2026 Ballon d'Or ranking offers a panorama of global talent who will continue to influence world football in the coming years.