A historic night in London
The 2026 Ballon d'Or, the 70th edition of football's most prestigious awards, was held on 26 October 2026 at the London Palladium, the first time the ceremony has ever taken place outside France. The venue honoured Sir Stanley Matthews, the English winger who became the inaugural winner in 1956. Hosted by Thierry Henry and Kate Scott and co-organised by France Football and UEFA, the gala handed out 13 awards across the men's and women's game.
The headline winners: Kane and Putellas
Harry Kane won the men's Ballon d'Or, his first, becoming the first English man to claim the award since Michael Owen in 2001; he finished ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal. Alexia Putellas won the women's Ballon d'Or Feminin, her third overall and first since 2022, ending Aitana Bonmati's three-year reign. Both headline winners capped a night dominated by Spain, Barcelona and England.
The complete 2026 winners list
Here is every award and its winner: Men's Ballon d'Or: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England). Women's Ballon d'Or (Feminin): Alexia Putellas (Barcelona / London City Lionesses, Spain). Men's Kopa Trophy (best U21): Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain). Women's Kopa Trophy (best U21): Vicky Lopez (Barcelona, Spain). Men's Yashin Trophy (goalkeeper): Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao, Spain). Women's Yashin Trophy (goalkeeper): Cata Coll (Barcelona, Spain). Men's Gerd Muller Trophy (top scorer): Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England). Women's Gerd Muller Trophy (top scorer): Charlyn Corral (Pachuca, Mexico). Socrates Award (humanitarian): Bukayo Saka (Arsenal, England). Men's Coach of the Year (Johan Cruyff Trophy): Luis de la Fuente (Spain). Women's Coach of the Year (Johan Cruyff Trophy): Pere Romeu (Barcelona). Men's Club of the Year: Paris Saint-Germain. Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona.
Spain and Barcelona rule the night
Beyond the two headline awards, Spanish and Barcelona figures swept the supporting prizes. Spain took both goalkeeper awards (Unai Simon and Cata Coll), both coaching awards (Luis de la Fuente and Pere Romeu) and both Kopa Trophies (Lamine Yamal and Vicky Lopez), while Barcelona were named women's club of the year. Paris Saint-Germain retained the men's club of the year award.
The men's top ten
The men's Ballon d'Or ranking read: 1. Harry Kane; 2. Kylian Mbappe; 3. Lamine Yamal; 4. Rodri; 5. Lionel Messi; 6. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia; 7. Ousmane Dembele; 8. Erling Haaland; 9. Michael Olise; 10. Fabian Ruiz. Defending winner Dembele slipped to seventh, while eight-time winner Messi placed fifth.
Records and milestones
Kane's win ended a 25-year wait for an English men's winner and added to his Gerd Muller Trophy as the season's top scorer. Yamal's Kopa Trophy was his third in a row, an unprecedented hat-trick, and Vicky Lopez retained the women's equivalent. Charlyn Corral's women's Gerd Muller Trophy was reported as a first for a Mexican player at the gala, adding global breadth to the honours.
The bottom line
The 2026 Ballon d'Or will be remembered for Harry Kane's long-awaited crowning, Alexia Putellas's return to the top, and the first staging of the ceremony outside France. On a night ruled by Spain and Barcelona, England's two headline-adjacent moments, Kane's award and Bukayo Saka's Socrates recognition, gave the London edition a fitting local flavour.
Related on Skillo
See also: Ballon d'Or 2026 live: Harry Kane wins in London, Harry Kane wins the 2026 Ballon d'Or.
Sources
- Ballon d'Or official winners (ballondor.com)
- 2026 Ballon d'Or - Wikipedia (full rankings)
- Ballon d'Or 2026 live updates: Kane, Putellas headline winners (NBC Sports)
Published date reflects the original event date (2026-10-26). This article is original Skillo editorial written from the sources above; facts were verified in September 2026.
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