After a tight race for the trophy, Englishman Harry Kane ultimately came out on top to win the Ballon d'Or after the best goalscoring season of his career.
He scored six goals for England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where England finished in third place after a devastating loss to Argentina in extra time, which saw them miss out on the final.
Kane scored 61 goals and had seven assists over 51 matches for Bayern Munich in all competitions in the 2025–26 season.
In February 2026, he scored his 500th career goal across club and country matches.
Kane becomes the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001.
Praise has quickly poured in from around the world, with Tottenham Hotspur taking to X to congratulate Kane after he thanked them in his acceptance speech.
The 2026 picks for the win were Harry Kane (England/Bayern Munich), Lamine Yamal (Spain/Barcelona FC), and Kylian Mbappé (France/Real Madrid).
Mbappé finished the 2026 FIFA World Cup with 10 goals for France, setting a goalscoring record for the tournament.
Despite this, it was his club efforts with Real Madrid that saw him lose out to Kane.
Narrowly missing out, 19-year-old Yamal has been on the radar for a few years now, placing second in points for last year's trophy, but ultimately losing out to Ousmane Dembélé (France/PSG).
Yamal has achieved success in another feat, winning the 2026 KOPA trophy for the third year in a row, beating out his own record of being the only player to win more than once.
Yamal's success has been widely seen throughout different competitions and on social media, but despite playing 120 minutes in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final, his one goal in the competition was not enough to win him the prestigious award.
Despite missing out on the main award, Spain dominated across the board, a pattern that reflects their success in the World Cup earlier this year.
Vicky López (Spain/Barcelona FC) has taken the Women's 2026 KOPA trophy for the second year in a row, setting a record as the only winner of the trophy since the creation of the women's award.
Alexia Putellas (Spain/Barcelona FC)has been crowned the winner of the Ballon d'Or Féminin for the third time, levelling with her teammate Aitana Bonmatí.
Ahead of the highly anticipated event came a shock blunder from the organisation itself, releasing pre-prepared press releases for all three winners hours before the ceremony even began.
Despite this, hundreds of thousands of people across the world still tuned in to celebrate the greats of the sport.
Complete list of award winners
Ballon d'Or: Harry Kane (England/Bayern Munich)
Ballon d'Or Féminin: Alexia Putellas (Spain/Barcelona FC)
Men's striker of the year: Harry Kane (England/Bayern Munich)
Women's striker of the year: Charlyn Corral (Mexico/CF Pachuca)
Men's club of the year: Paris Saint-Germain
Women's club of the year: Barcelona FC
Socrates award: Bukayo Saka (England/Arsenal)
Men's goalkeeper of the year: Unai Simón (Spain/Athletic Club)
Women's goalkeeper of the year: Cata Coll (Spain/Barcelona FC)
Men's coach of the year: Luis de la Fuente (Spain)
Women's coach of the year: Pere Romeu (Barcelona FC)
Women's young player of the year: Vicky Lopez (Spain/Barcelona FC)
Men's young player of the year: Lamine Yamal (Spain/Barcelona FC)
