Updated Oct. 27, 2026: Harry Kane won the men’s Ballon d’Or, BBC Sport and ESPN reported, and Alexia Putellas’s win was confirmed as her third. This article was first published before the men’s award was announced.
Alexia Putellas won a record-equalling third women’s Ballon d’Or and Harry Kane won the men’s award at the 2026 ceremony at the London Palladium on Monday, Oct. 26, BBC Sport and ESPN reported.
Kane, of Bayern Munich, finished ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal and is the first Englishman to win the award in 25 years, ESPN reported. Barcelona’s Yamal took the men’s Kopa Trophy for young players, and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka received the Socrates Award, according to NBC Sports, Yahoo Sports and Sports Illustrated.
UEFA said it was the first ceremony held in London, scheduled for 8 p.m. GMT (11 p.m. EAT). Yahoo Sports reported that it was the first held outside France and that it started about 45 minutes late.
The 2026 Ballon d’Or winners
Putellas, of Barcelona, returned to the top of the women’s award four years after her previous win, NBC Sports said. Her third title equals the women’s record, BBC Sport reported.
Yamal won the men’s Kopa Trophy, which is separate from the Ballon d’Or, for the third time, Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports said. Sports Illustrated named Pau Cubarsi as runner-up. Barcelona’s Vicky Lopez won the women’s Kopa Trophy for a second straight year, NBC Sports and Sports Illustrated said.
Saka received the Socrates Award for his work with the BigShoe charity, Sports Illustrated reported. Paris Saint-Germain won men’s Club of the Year for a second straight season, and Barcelona’s women won all four trophies available to them, according to Sports Illustrated.
| Award | Winner | Reported by |
|---|---|---|
| Men’s Ballon d’Or | Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) | BBC Sport, ESPN |
| Women’s Ballon d’Or | Alexia Putellas (Barcelona) | BBC Sport, NBC, Yahoo |
| Kopa Trophy, men | Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) | NBC, SI |
| Kopa Trophy, women | Vicky Lopez (Barcelona) | NBC, SI |
| Socrates Award | Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) | NBC, Yahoo, BeIN, SI |
| Yashin Trophy, men | Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao) | NBC, Yahoo, BeIN, SI |
| Yashin Trophy, women | Cata Coll (Barcelona) | NBC, Yahoo, BeIN, SI |
| Gerd Müller Trophy, men | Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) | NBC, Yahoo, BeIN, SI |
| Gerd Müller Trophy, women | Charlyn Corral (Pachuca) | NBC, Yahoo, BeIN, SI |
| Coach of the Year, men | Luis de la Fuente (Spain) | NBC, Yahoo, BeIN, SI |
| Coach of the Year, women | Pere Romeu (Barcelona) | NBC, Yahoo, BeIN, SI |
The website leak
Before the main awards were announced, the Ballon d’Or website briefly published articles naming Kane, Mbappé and Yamal as winners and then removed them, Yahoo Sports and BBC Sport reported. Organisers had “simply prepared for any eventuality,” according to Yahoo’s live coverage.
What comes next
Kane’s win caps a season in which he won the Gerd Müller Trophy as the year’s top striker. Read our earlier Ballon d’Or power rankings for 2026 and the July update on Yamal and Rodri for how the race developed.
