Harry Kane of Bayern Munich and England won the Men’s Ballon d’Or 2026 on 26 October 2026 at the London Palladium, becoming the first English winner in 25 years. Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas won the Women’s Ballon d’Or Feminin for a record equalling third time after leading Barcelona to a quadruple. The 70th edition also honoured young stars, goalkeepers, top scorers, coaches, clubs and humanitarian work.
What Is the Ballon d Or
The Ballon d Or, which means Golden Ball in French, is the most prestigious individual prize in world football. The French magazine France Football created the award in 1956 to honour the best male player in Europe. England winger Stanley Matthews won the first edition.
The scope of the award expanded in stages. From 1995 it opened to all players playing in Europe, and from 2007 it opened to all players in the world. The Women’s award, called the Ballon d Or Feminin, started in 2018. Norway striker Ada Hegerberg won the first Women’s prize.
France Football organises the awards with support from European football body UEFA since 2024. The award is separate from the FIFA Best Awards, which are given by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), the world governing body for football headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. For six years between 2010 and 2015 the two merged as the FIFA Ballon d Or, then separated again. Players, coaches and fans generally treat the Ballon d Or as the highest individual honour because of its long history and voting by specialist journalists.
70th Edition Ceremony in London
The 70th Ballon d Or ceremony took place on 26 October 2026 at the London Palladium in London. The event started at 8 pm local time after rankings from 30th to 11th place were released earlier in the evening. The red carpet began at 6 pm.
France Football chose London to mark 70 years since Stanley Matthews, an English player, won the first award in 1956. The ceremony is usually held at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, so the shift to London made the 2026 edition special. The 2025 ceremony, the 69th edition, was held on 22 September 2025 in Paris, when Ousmane Dembele and Aitana Bonmati won the top prizes.
The 2026 night celebrated the 2025-26 European season, from August 2025 to August 2026, including domestic leagues, the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA World Cup 2026 hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. England finished third at that World Cup, its best result since winning in 1966, while Spain lifted the title. That season long window explains why club and national team form both counted in the voting.
Harry Kane Wins Mens Ballon d Or
The Men’s Ballon d Or 2026 went to Harry Kane of Bayern Munich and England. The 33-year-old striker, born on 28 July 1993 in London, finished ahead of Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid and France in second place and Lamine Yamal of Barcelona and Spain in third place.
Kane scored 73 goals for club and country in the 2025-26 season. For Bayern Munich, Kane played 51 matches and scored 61 goals with 7 assists. This included 36 goals in 31 Bundesliga appearances, 14 goals in 13 UEFA Champions League matches and 10 goals in 6 German Cup matches. He added 12 goals for England, including 6 goals at the World Cup 2026. Bayern won the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the German Supercup during the season.
The win ended a long wait for England. Kane is the first English player to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001, and only the fifth English winner after Stanley Matthews (1956), Bobby Charlton (1966), Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979) and Owen. Kane, who joined Bayern from Tottenham Hotspur in 2023, is also England captain (as of October 2026) and England’s all time top scorer. He also won the European Golden Shoe in 2024 and 2026 as Europe’s top league scorer.
Alexia Putellas Wins Womens Ballon d Or
The Women’s Ballon d Or 2026 went to Alexia Putellas of Spain. The midfielder, born on 4 February 1994 in Mollet del Valles in Spain, won the award for the third time after earlier wins in 2021 and 2022. She now equals the record for most Women’s Ballon d Or titles.
Putellas helped FC Barcelona Femeni win a historic quadruple in 2025-26. The team won the Liga F (Spain’s top women’s league), the Copa de la Reina (Spain’s national cup), the Spanish Supercopa and the UEFA Women’s Champions League with a 4-0 win in the final. Including matches for Spain, Putellas scored 26 goals and made 15 assists in the season despite playing mainly in midfield.
Putellas spent 14 years at Barcelona and moved to the London City Lionesses in England during the summer 2026 transfer window. With Spain, she had earlier won the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and the UEFA Women’s Nations League in 2024 and 2025. Her 2026 win followed three wins by her Barcelona teammate Aitana Bonmati in 2023, 2024 and 2025, which shows Barcelona’s dominance in women’s football.
How Are Ballon d Or Winners Selected
The Ballon d Or winners are selected by votes from specialist football journalists based on player performance during the August to August season, team success and fair play. France Football and L’Equipe first prepare a shortlist of 30 players for the men’s award and 30 for the women’s award.
One journalist from each of the top 100 countries in the FIFA men’s rankings votes for the men’s award. One journalist from each of the top 50 countries in the FIFA women’s rankings votes for the women’s award. Each journalist picks ten players in order from first to tenth. Points are given from 15 points for first place down to 1 point for tenth place. The player with the highest total wins.
France Football judges voters on three main criteria. The first is individual performance and decisive impact in big matches. The second is team achievements and trophies won during the season. The third is conduct on the field and fair play. For ties, the number of first place votes decides, then second place votes, and so on. The editor in chief of France Football settles any dispute.
Kopa Trophy for Best Young Player
The Kopa Trophy honours the best player under the age of 21 as on 31 July of that year. France Football created the prize in 2018 and named it after Raymond Kopa, the French forward who won the Ballon d Or in 1958. Past winners vote to choose the Kopa winner.
The Men’s Kopa Trophy 2026 went to Lamine Yamal of Barcelona and Spain for the third year in a row. Yamal finished third in the main Men’s Ballon d Or race while winning the young player prize. He was a key winger for Barcelona and Spain with goals and assists in the league, Champions League and international matches.
The Women’s Kopa Trophy 2026 went to Vicky Lopez of Barcelona and Spain for the second year in a row. Lopez, a midfielder, was central to Barcelona Femeni’s quadruple and Spain’s youth to senior transition. The double win for Yamal and Lopez underlined Spain’s strength in developing young talent.
Yashin Trophy for Best Goalkeeper
The Yashin Trophy honours the best goalkeeper of the season. France Football created the prize in 2019 and named it after Lev Yashin of the Soviet Union, the only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d Or in 1963. Yashin is widely remembered as one of the greatest goalkeepers in football history.
The Men’s Yashin Trophy 2026 went to Unai Simon of Athletic Club and Spain. Simon kept clean sheets through Spain’s successful season and made decisive saves in the league and in international matches. He succeeded Gianluigi Donnarumma, who won the prize in 2021 and 2025, and Emiliano Martinez, who won in 2023 and 2024.
The Women’s Yashin Trophy 2026 went to Cata Coll of Barcelona and Spain. Coll was the first choice goalkeeper during Barcelona’s quadruple run and Spain’s campaign. She succeeded Hannah Hampton of England and Chelsea, who won the Women’s prize in 2025. The awards for Simon and Coll gave Spain both goalkeeping honours in the same year.
Gerd Muller Trophy, Coach, Club and Socrates Awards
The Gerd Muller Trophy honours the top scorer of the season for club and country. France Football named it after Gerd Muller, the German striker who scored 68 goals in 62 matches for West Germany and won the Ballon d Or in 1970. The Men’s Gerd Muller Trophy 2026 went to Harry Kane for his 73 goals. The Women’s Gerd Muller Trophy 2026 went to Charlyn Corral of Pachuca and Mexico, the highest scorer in women’s football for the season.
The Coach of the Year awards, also called the Johan Cruyff Trophy, honour the best club or national team coach. The Men’s Coach of the Year 2026 went to Luis de la Fuente, head coach of the Spain men’s national team. The Women’s Coach of the Year 2026 went to Pere Romeu, head coach of Barcelona Femeni. Romeu led Barcelona to the quadruple, while de la Fuente led Spain’s successful international campaign.
The Club of the Year awards went to Paris Saint-Germain for men and FC Barcelona for women. Paris Saint-Germain, based in Paris and owned as a leading club in France’s Ligue 1, won the men’s prize after a strong Champions League and domestic season. Barcelona won the women’s prize after its quadruple season.
The Socrates Award honours humanitarian and social work by a player. France Football created it with the peace organisation Peace and Sport and named it after Socrates, the former Brazil captain known for his work on democracy and social causes. The Socrates Award 2026 went to Bukayo Saka of Arsenal and England for his charity and community work off the field.
Complete List of Winners at the 2026 Ceremony
The 2026 ceremony presented awards in men’s and women’s categories for players, young talent, goalkeepers, scorers, coaches and clubs, along with the humanitarian prize.
| Award | Winner | Team and Country |
|---|---|---|
| Men’s Ballon d Or | Harry Kane | Bayern Munich and England |
| Women’s Ballon d Or | Alexia Putellas | Barcelona and Spain |
| Men’s Kopa Trophy | Lamine Yamal | Barcelona and Spain |
| Women’s Kopa Trophy | Vicky Lopez | Barcelona and Spain |
| Men’s Yashin Trophy | Unai Simon | Athletic Club and Spain |
| Women’s Yashin Trophy | Cata Coll | Barcelona and Spain |
| Men’s Gerd Muller Trophy | Harry Kane | Bayern Munich and England |
| Women’s Gerd Muller Trophy | Charlyn Corral | Pachuca and Mexico |
| Men’s Coach of the Year | Luis de la Fuente | Spain |
| Women’s Coach of the Year | Pere Romeu | Barcelona Femeni |
| Men’s Club of the Year | Paris Saint-Germain | France |
| Women’s Club of the Year | FC Barcelona | Spain |
| Socrates Award | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal and England |
Key Takeaways
- The 70th Ballon d Or ceremony was held on 26 October 2026 at the London Palladium.
- Harry Kane won the Men’s Ballon d Or 2026 with 73 goals, the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001.
- Alexia Putellas won the Women’s Ballon d Or 2026 for a third time after wins in 2021 and 2022.
- The Kopa Trophy 2026 went to Lamine Yamal (Men) and Vicky Lopez (Women) as best young players.
- The Yashin Trophy 2026 went to Unai Simon (Men) and Cata Coll (Women) as best goalkeepers.
- The Gerd Muller Trophy 2026 went to Harry Kane (Men) and Charlyn Corral (Women) as top scorers.
