At the 2026 Ballon d'Or gala, held in London, the Englishman HarryKane and the Spanish AlexiaPutellas were crowned the top winners, equaling AitanaBonmatí's record with their third prize. Kane, who played for Bayern Munich, surpassed KylianMbappé and the young LamineYamal, who went from second in 2025 to third place. Putellas, from the FCBarcelona squad, took the women's title after an outstanding season that consolidated her position as one of the best players in the world.
Barça also won in several women's categories. The “10” of the team, LamineYamal, was awarded Best Male Talent for the third consecutive year, while VickyLópez received the same award in the female category for the second consecutive year. In the goalkeeping section, CataColl, also from Barça, was named Best Goalkeeper, and PereRomeu was named Best Women's Coach. In the men's field, LuisdelaFuente and UnaiSimón were recognized as Best Coaches, and PSG was declared the men's Team of the Year, with FCBarcelona as the women's Team of the Year.
The men's ranking of the top 30 players showed a mix of veterans and young talent. In addition to Kane, second place went to KylianMbappé, and third to LamineYamal. Among those who occupied places 4 and 5 are RodriHernández and LeoMessi, respectively, while KhvichaKvaratskhelia and OusmaneDembélé completed the top ten. At the bottom of the list, players like SadioMané and WilliamSaliba appeared in positions 27 and 29, respectively.
In the women's classification, AlexiaPutellas led by a clear margin, followed by EwaPajor and KhadijaShaw. 10th place went to MelchieDumornay, and the list continued with names like CarolineGrahamHansen and ClaudiaPina. CataColl, in addition to winning the Best Goalkeeper award, also appeared in the top 10 in the goalkeeper category, while VickyLópez remained at the top of the Best Female Talent ranking.
Additional awards included the GerdMüller Prize, awarded to HarryKane and CharlynCorral, and the Socrates Prize, which was awarded to BukayoSaka. With this edition, the 70th of the Ballon d'Or, the event reaffirmed its position as the most prestigious ceremony to recognize football excellence worldwide.