England captain Harry Kane has been crowned the winner of the 2026 Ballon d’Or, claiming football’s most prestigious individual award and ending a 25-year wait for an English winner.
The last Englishman to win was Michael Owen in 2001. Before him, Kevin Keegan took the prize in 1978 and 1979. For a quarter of a century, England has produced world-class players without seeing one of them lift the trophy, until now.
A ceremony with a link to English football history
The 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony took place on Monday, October 26, 2026, in London. According to reports, the city was chosen to honour Stanley Matthews, who won the first award in 1956. Journalists’ voting closed on September 28, so the winner had been decided weeks before the announcement.
It was fitting, then, that the award ended up with an Englishman on English soil.
A season that built the case
Kane, the Bayern Munich striker, arrived at the ceremony as the clear favourite. Bookmakers and prediction markets had made him the frontrunner for weeks, ahead of Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, Rodri and Kylian Mbappé.
The case rested on a remarkable season. Reports credit Kane with scoring more than 70 goals for club and country, and he also contributed heavily to England’s World Cup campaign. Figures vary slightly between outlets, so the exact tally should be checked against official records.
Support had also grown from those who know him best. England teammate Declan Rice said he believed there was a “clear winner” and that it was Kane. Bayern teammate Serge Gnabry publicly backed him, and former Germany international Lothar Matthäus named him the leading contender. Bayern Munich officials also stepped up their campaign for him in the weeks before the ceremony.
What it means for England
For English football, the award carries symbolic weight well beyond one player. England has repeatedly reached the later stages of major tournaments in recent years, and a Ballon d’Or for its captain recognises both his individual brilliance and the standing of the national side.
It also adds to a career already defined by goals. Kane has long been England’s record scorer, and the Ballon d’Or gives that record the individual honour many supporters felt it deserved.
Strong field left behind
Kane beat a competitive field. Yamal, still a teenager, was seen as the main threat, while Mbappé and Rodri also featured among the leading contenders. Other names in the conversation included Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Declan Rice.
Before the ceremony, Kane said he was as clueless as everyone else about the result, admitting it was “hard not to think about it”.