Harry Kane edged Kylian Mbappé by an exceptionally slim margin to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, with the gap narrower than the 41 points that separated Rodri and Vinícius Júnior in the 2024 vote.
Vincent Garcia, editor of France Football and the official overseeing the award, revealed the closeness of the result after Kane received the trophy in London on Monday. The ceremony was held at the London Palladium.
Quick facts
- Harry Kane won his first Ballon d’Or at age 33.
- The margin over Kylian Mbappé was below 41 points.
- Kane scored 73 times in 65 games for Bayern Munich and England.
- Bayern won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal in the previous season.
- Mbappé finished second, followed by Lamine Yamal in third.
Garcia said the battle between the top two candidates came down to a remarkably small points difference. Full voting details are scheduled for publication on Saturday.
“The difference between Kane and Mbappé was smaller than the 41-point gap between Rodri and Vinícius Júnior in 2024, and that was already considered very close,” Garcia said.
“Kylian was ahead for a long period, but Harry Kane returned to the race. Ultimately, the outcome was decided by a very, very small number of points.”
Kane’s victory followed a prolific campaign in which he recorded 73 goals from 65 appearances for Bayern Munich and the England national team. Bayern claimed both Germany’s Bundesliga title and the DFB-Pokal during the season.
The England captain also scored six goals at the 2026 World Cup, where England ended the tournament in third place. He is the first Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001.
Mbappé’s second-place result was the best finish of his Ballon d’Or career, while Lamine Yamal took third. The Real Madrid forward topped the scoring charts in La Liga with 25 goals, the UEFA Champions League with 15, and the World Cup with 10.
