Harry Kane and Alexia Putellas Win the 2026 Ballon d’Or

Kane ends England’s wait, Putellas wins a third

For Kane, the London presentation brought a major individual honor back to his home city. The 33-year-old followed a line of English winners that includes Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Owen. This was his first Ballon d’Or, awarded after a season in which his scoring continued across domestic, European and international competition.

Bayern’s nomination record credited Kane with 61 goals in 51 club matches, including 36 league goals that earned the European Golden Shoe. Bayern won the Bundesliga and German Cup, while England reached the World Cup semifinals and Kane scored six times at the tournament. Those are different measures of his season: the 61-goal figure covers Bayern, while the 73-goal total includes England.

Putellas’s third victory followed her earlier wins in 2021 and 2022. The award recognized her Barcelona season, which included Liga F, the Copa de la Reina, the Spanish Super Cup and the Champions League. Her return to the main award came four years after a knee injury interrupted her career at its peak.

The organizers’ account of her recovery documents the torn anterior cruciate ligament she suffered in July 2022 and her gradual return. She has since joined London City Lionesses, but performances after July 19 fall outside this award’s assessment period. Her new club and her award-winning Barcelona campaign belong to different parts of that timeline.

Yamal’s third award, López’s second

Yamal, 19, became the first player to win the young-talent award in three consecutive editions, extending a run that began in 2024. Andriy Shevchenko presented the prize, and Yamal used his speech to praise Cubarsí rather than keep the attention entirely on himself.

“I would have liked Cubarsí to have won, he deserves it,” Yamal said, according to Barcelona’s account of his acceptance. The club credited Yamal with 24 goals and 18 assists in 45 appearances during 2025–26, when Barcelona won La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup. He also became a World Cup winner with Spain.

López, 20, retained the women’s award in its second year. She remains its only winner, having taken the inaugural honor in 2025. Her repeat reflected an established role in Barcelona’s team: the club recorded 45 appearances, including 31 starts, with 12 goals and 13 assists during the four-trophy campaign.

“This award would not be possible without my team mates who make me better,” López said in Barcelona’s report. She also thanked her family and mother. Her contribution came across a season in which Barcelona won Liga F, the Copa de la Reina, the Spanish Super Cup and the Women’s Champions League.

Spain takes both goalkeeper awards

Simón’s award added to a year that included the World Cup and its Golden Glove. Athletic Club’s account of his nomination recorded one goal conceded in eight World Cup appearances. He had finished second in the goalkeeper voting in 2024 before receiving the honor in London.

The recognition also connected his international achievements with his work for Athletic. The club noted that his year included Champions League participation, while his national-team success gave Spain another individual winner on a night already marked by its players and coaches.

Coll won the women’s goalkeeper award during a ceremony that repeatedly recognized Barcelona’s season. Her honor sat alongside those for López and Romeu, and the club award recognized the collective results behind those individual achievements.

The coaches and clubs behind the individual prizes

De la Fuente received the men’s coaching award after leading Spain to its second World Cup title. Spain defeated Argentina in the July 19 final, adding the trophy to the Nations League and European Championship won earlier in his tenure. The Spanish federation’s account of the award identified the World Cup as the culmination of his season.

He emerged from a field that included Luis Enrique, Mikel Arteta, Unai Emery and Vincent Kompany. Those candidates offered different kinds of club achievement, but the award went to the coach of the world champions.

Romeu won the women’s coaching award after Barcelona’s quadruple, and Barcelona also received the women’s club award. The result recognized a team successful in Europe and across Spain’s domestic competitions, with its young-player and goalkeeper prizes adding individual detail to the collective honors.

PSG received the men’s club award following another Champions League-winning campaign. Ousmane Dembélé, the 2025 men’s Ballon d’Or winner, collected the honor on the club’s behalf, according to the organizers’ live ceremony account. Sol Campbell and Patrick Vieira presented the club prizes.

Kane and Corral take the scoring honors

Kane won the men’s striker award after a 73-goal season for Bayern Munich and England. The total combines club and international competition; it is not his Bundesliga tally. Bayern’s season account recorded those goals across 65 competitive appearances. He finished the evening with both the striker award and the main men’s Ballon d’Or.

Charlyn Corral received the women’s striker award, according to the official ceremony record. Her recognition added a Mexican winner to a ceremony whose earlier individual prizes had gone to Spanish players and coaches. The striker awards are distinct from the main men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or prizes.

A London anniversary, a delayed start and an early website error

The move to London marked the awards’ 70th anniversary and honored Stanley Matthews, the first winner in 1956. Thierry Henry and Kate Scott hosted the ceremony. Jorja Smith performed before the awards presentations, while traffic delayed the start from the originally announced time, according to contemporaneous ceremony coverage.

Earlier in the day, separate articles appeared on the official website presenting Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and Yamal as the men’s winner. Anadolu reported the conflicting posts. Those conflicting pages preceded the ceremony; the winners listed here were confirmed during the presentations.

Arthus Cadre performed before the main trophies were revealed. The ceremony also paid tribute to Matthews, whose 1956 victory began the award’s history. Michael Owen appeared on stage before the principal awards, while Ronaldo delivered the men’s trophy.

Saka’s Sócrates Award brought the ceremony beyond competitive achievements. The organizers credited his work with BigShoe, which funds medical treatment for children. Their account identified operations in Kano, Nigeria, among the projects supported through that partnership.

What the 2026 awards actually measure

The main Ballon d’Or awards evaluate the season from August 3, 2025, through July 19, 2026, including the men’s World Cup. The organizers’ period statement places the women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which ended in August, in the next award cycle. Performances in the new club season fall outside this year’s period.

The official regulations rank individual performance first, team performances and trophies second, and class and fair play third. Specialized journalists vote, with one representative from each of the top 100 FIFA-ranked men’s nations and the top 50 women’s nations. Each juror ranks 10 players from a 30-player shortlist; first place earns 15 points.

That distinction matters when weighing a great individual season against a team’s trophies. The award does not simply go to a World Cup winner or the leading scorer. The voting asks jurors to weigh those achievements within the stated criteria.