2026 Ballon d’Or recap: Full winners list, results, reaction as Harry Kane, Alexia Putellas win top honors

Putellas was followed by former Barca teammate Ewa Pajor (Poland).

Then a few surprises, as Jamaica and Man City star Khadija “Bunny” Shaw and Haiti’s Melchie Dumornay ranked Nos. 3 and 4, respectively.

Then came more Barca.

Patri Guijarro is 5, followed in order by Caroline Graham Hansen, Pernille Harder, Claudia Pina, Alessia Russo, and Temwa Chawinga.

It was pretty clear that one of Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, or Lamine Yamal would win the Ballon d’Or.

But who’d be next up? Former winners Rodri and Lionel Messi.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was No. 6, followed in order by Ousmane Dembele, Erling Haaland, Michael Olise, and Fabian Ruiz.

“Wow, wow, wow. First of all, wow, I’m almost speechless lucky I have this list here. Thank you again for France Football putting on this amazing event. Being in London made this extra special and felt like a good omen for me. Thank you to everyone who voted for me. It was real tough this year with the world-class players.”

“My Bayern Munich teammates, I’ve got a few here tonight, without you guys it wouldn’t be possible. The way you pushed me, the way you compete, makes me a better player and want to improve. To Vinny, still in the hospital, I hope this gave you a bit of energy. And all the staff, the way you push us is a credit to yourself. Since I’ve been with you I’ve improved as a player, no doubt, as a person and leader. It’s an honor to play for Bayern Munich. I’m glad to be bringing this trophy back.”

“To all of my England teammates, the same. We had a special year. It wasn’t a perfect year but we built a great one together, the way we trained and played. It was truly an honor to captain you, lead you. This one’s for all of us for sure. To Thomas Tuchel and the staff at England, the way you drive us and push standards is something to be admired. Debbie is here tonight, thank you for everything you do and to everyone at the FA.”

“Thank you to Tottenham Hotspur as well. I wouldn’t be where I am today without Tottenham for sure. I was there from 11 years old. You allowed me to live my dream. Without all those moments, the ups and downs, they lead me to this moment today.”

And he saved his best for his family.

R9, the original Ronaldo, is here to end the suspense of who will be crowned the best men’s player in football this season.

The award goes to Harry Kane!

Michael Owen, the 2001 Ballon d’Or winner, is here to present the Ballon d’Or Feminin.

The winner is.... Alexia Putellas, back on the podium for the third time ever and first in four years.

Here is a list of all the women’s winners dating back to 2018, as Spain- and Barcelona-laden as it may be.

AFP via Getty Images

No surprises here, either, as Striker of the Year is awarded by total number of goals.

Newcastle hero Alan Shearer and ‘Game of Thrones’ star Sophie Turner are on hand to deal out the trophies.

Harry Kane of Bayern Munich wins the men’s honor while Charlyn Corral of Pachuca and Mexico gets the women’s honor.

Corral, 35, played two seasons of college soccer at the University of Louisville

Patrick Vieira and Sol Campbell have joined Thierry Henry and co-host Kate Scott on stage to give out the awards for the best clubs of the season.

The best women’s team of the year is Barcelona, an award with almost zero suspense after they won the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Liga F, Copa de la Reina, and Supercopa de Espana.

And the men’s winner is PSG. No surprise here, and reigning (for a few more minutes) Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele accepts the award on behalf of his two-time defending Champions League-winning club.

The Socrates award is next, named after the Brazilian footballing legend and activist.

Nigerian singer Burna Boy is the presenter, and the winner is...

Bukayo Saka of Arsenal and England, who heads to stage with a pronounced limp as he faces weeks out of the Gunners lineup.

Saka, 25, has been charity-minded dating back to his very early years as a professional and is one of the very good men in the game.

AFP via Getty Images

The Lev Yashin Award is up next, and on hand to pass it along is Peter Schmeichel, the EURO-winning goalkeeper for Denmark and serial silverware winner with Manchester United.

The women’s award goes to Cata Coll of Barcelona and Spain, while the men’s winner is Unai Simon of Athletic Bilbao and Spain.

This has been some evening for Spain.

Benitez stays on stage to award the men’s coach of the year, and 80% of the finalists are his countrymen from Spain.

Vincent Kompany is still recovering from illness after a scary incident over the weekend and isn’t there, so 100% of the nominees on-hand are Spanish.

Luis de la Fuente is the man after leading Spain to the World Cup!

Now Rafa Benitez is on the scene to hand out the women’s coach of the year award.

The former Liverpool and Newcastle boss gives the award to a fellow Spaniard, the very young Pere Romeu of Barcelona.

At 32 (33 next month) he won just about everything you could win at Barca last season.

The living legend Lucy Bronze will hand out the women’s young talent of the year award.

One of the nominees is USWNT and OL Lyonnes phenom Lily Yohannes, but the winner is someone else.

Vicky Lopez of Barcelona wins the top honor for the second-straight year.

Andrey Shevchenko, 2004 Ballon d’Or winner, is here to give out the men’s young talent of the year awards.

The men’s award goes to Lamine Yamal of Barcelona. No surprise here, as he’s won it the last two seasons.

He’s got it three times instead, though he’s saying he believes club and country teammate Pau Cubarsi deserved the honor.

AFP via Getty Images

Which players do you think were not in the men’s or women’s top 30 that will make the jump next year?

Obviously it depends on where the teams finish in terms of titles and silverware — especially with a Women’s World Cup sure to cement next year’s women’s winner — but early love should be going to:

Men
Raphinha, Barcelona
Joao Pedro, Chelsea
Arda Guler, Real Madrid

Women
Lauren Hemp, Man City
Sophia Wilson, Portland Thorns
Fiamma Benitez, Atletico Madrid

Mikel Arteta’s wife Lorena Bernal has branded the event, “The Oscars of football, no?”

Arteta acknowledged that the occasion is massive, even for someone who has been on the biggest pitches in the world.

“The first time in London so it has to be special,” Arteta said. “Especially because we have so many Spanish managers.”

Arteta is one of four Spanish managers in the five bosses nominated for men’s coach of the year.

How is he feeling? “I’m a little nervous, I’m not going to lie. It’s out of my control, you’re just waiting to find out who wins. Being here in London, seeing fans and some of my friends and family, I’m hoping it goes my way and it would be an incredibly proud achievement.”

Couldn’t have done more? “I look back at last season. It was my best season for sure. I won three trophies with Bayern, got far in the Champions League and World Cup. If I won those it would be guaranteed for sure but that’s football. I’m extremely proud. We have to wait and see what happens.”

On his assist versus Arsenal “It was a nice pass, one of my better passes. It’s always been a part of my game. At Bayern Munich with the system we play maybe it’s been shown more.”

Have you been noticing all the debates about who should win? “It’s almost impossible not to. It is what it is. I’m up there with some of the best players in the world. Look at the top 10. All players who have an argument to win it. We have to wait and see. When you’ve got the journalists who vote, it comes down to opinion. Some might like fast players. Some might like skilled players. Some might like goal scorers. ... Fingers crossed.”

The ceremony is not going to begin until at least 4:30pm ET as fierce London traffic has delayed arrival for some key players.

Have any questions we can answer for you here? Email nicholas.mendola@nbcuni.com

Lionel Messi is not said to be in the building but the reigning winner and three reported finalists are there.

Ousmane Dembele
Lamine Yamal
Kylian Mbappe
Harry Kane

It would be a bit odd if Mbappe were to claim it, as good as he is, given zero trophies this past year. It would be a bit of a career achievement award, and his numbers did not approach Kane’s lofty production.

The red-carpet arrivals are ramping up with more and more stars arriving at the London Palladium Theatre.

Aside from players who could win the young player and top men’s or women’s players like Lamine Yamal, there are so many questions in each category.

Top goalkeeper, top young player, top coach... all of these feel open for business. And don’t rule out the men’s players who have already won in years past, as voters have chosen Ousmane Dembele and Rodri once each prior to this year’s voting.

The 32-year-old forward with 150 caps has recently moved from Barcelona to the London City Lionesses and is widely expected to retake the title of Ballon d’Or Femenin winner.

Has she prepared a speech? “No, we don’t know who’s going to win so I haven’t prepared anything.’

“It’s an amazing award. I’m delighted to be here in the football party. I’m very happy.”

How did you feel when you found out you were nominated for men’s coach of the year? “Grateful. The clubs I work at, to be here. All the coaches that work with me. All the players that work with me and now especially Aston Villa, where I am improving in my career as a coach.”

Do you have a speech prepared? “I will try to be natural like I am, speaking about my experiences and how I am feeling in that moment.”

Will he win? “I hope so. We’ve all got our fingers crossed for him.”

“Look, whether you’re talking about Yamal, Mbappe, or Kane, they are all amazing players. Harry’s had an amazing 18 months. His numbers are off the charts.”

Big event huh? “When I go back to my time in 1996, goodness me I had a lot more hair back then, it’s really grown.”

Women’s club of the year finalists

OL Lyonnes
Barcelona
Club America
Manchester City
Bayern Munich

Men’s club of the year finalists

Arsenal
Bayern Munich
Bodo/Glimt
Flamengo
Paris Saint-Germain

Men’s coach of the year finalists

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal
Luis de la Fuente, Spain
Unai Emery, Aston Villa
Vincent Kompany, Bayern Munich
Luis Enrique, PSG

Women’s coach of the year finalists

Jonatan Giraldez, OL Lyonnes
Andree Jeglertz, Man City
Pere Romeu, Barcelona
Nils Nielsen, Japan
Elena Sadiku, Celtic/BK Hacken

Lev Yashin Award finalists for men’s goalkeeper of the year

Yassine Bounou, Al Hilal/Morocco
Thibaut Courtois, Real Madrid/Belgium
Joan Garcia, Barcelona/Spain
Gregor Kobel, Borussia Dortmund/Switzerland
Emiliano Martinez, Aston Villa/Chelsea/Argentina
Eduoard Mendy, Al Ahli/Senegal
David Raya, Arsenal/Spain
Matvey Safonov, PSG/Russia
Unai Simon, Athletic Bilbao/Spain

Lev Yashin Award finalists for women’s goalkeeper of the year

Ann-Katrin Berger, Gotham FC/Germany
Cata Coll, Barcelona/Spain
Hannah Hampton, Chelsea/England
Lorena, KC Current/Brazil
Ayaka Yamashita, Man City/Japan

Men’s young talent of the year finalists

Pau Cubarsi, Barcelona
Yan Diomande, RB Leipzig/Real Madrid
Ayyoub Bouaddi, Lille/Man City
Kerim Alajbegovic, RB Salzburg/Juventus
Eli Junior Kroupi, Bournemouth
Lamine Yamal, Barcelona
Lennart Karl, Bayern Munich
Yohan Manzambi, Freiburg/Aston Villa
Ibrahim Maza, Bayer Leverkusen

Women’s young talent of the year finalists
Vicky Lopez, Barcelona
Felicia Schroeder, BK Hacken/Real Madrid
Veerle Buurman, Chelsea
Clara Seerajordi, Barcelona
Lily Yohannes, OL Lyonnes

Yohannes is a USWNT player

We’ll do this in two ways.

Here’s the order we believe voters will have placed these 10 players (with where we’d place them in parentheses).

10. Michael Olise, Bayern Munich (10)
9. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, PSG (8)
8. Ousmane Dembele, PSG (7)
7. Rodri, Manchester City/Barca (9)
6. Erling Haaland, Manchester City (5)
5. Fabian Ruiz, PSG (4)
4. Lionel Messi, Inter Miami (3)
3. Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid (6)
2. Lamine Yamal, Barcelona (2)
1. Harry Kane, Bayern Munich (1)

We know the top 10 players in the men’s Ballon d’Or voting, and all feel deserving of their place or at least can make a very strong case for it.

So what about the players who were kept out of 10?

Achraf Hakimi might have the biggest shout of the bunch at No. 13. He again helped PSG to Ligue 1 and a Champions League and is the unquestioned leader of Morocco, who again had a solid World Cup.

Declan Rice at No. 15 was perhaps the key piece of Arsenal ending their wait to win the Premier League and reach a Champions League Final, and he was very, very good as England finished third at the World Cup.

Jude Bellingham and Pau Cubarsi at Nos. 11 and 12 will have their proponents, too. But who would they have replaced in the Top 10? Michael Olise? You’d have to say that the voters ultimately provided a solid 10.

So, this is an interesting wrinkle. Internet sleuths including The Athletic found not one, not two, but three articles on Ballondor.com hyping the winner.

Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, and Kylian Mbappe all had their name before “wins Ballon d’Or” posts on the web site. All those posts have since been removed from the site.

Kane is the heavy favorite here.

Kane, Haaland, and Mbappe are undoubtedly the longest elite careers of active players who could gain the label of Ballon d’Or winner for the first time today.

Messi and Ronaldo’s long duopoly over the Ballon d’Or meant some all-time legends never won the honor:

Andres Iniesta
Thierry Henry
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Xavi
Paolo Maldini
Andrea Pirlo
Franck Ribery
Raul
Neymar
Gigi Buffon
Virgil van Dijk
Wayne Rooney
Dennis Bergkamp
Robert Lewandowski
Francesco Totti
Mo Salah

Pele never won a Ballon d’Or because it could only be given to a European prior to 1995. So Diego Maradona, Ronaldo, Garrincha, Mario Kempes, Socrates... no luck.

The top 10 men’s finalists, in no order, are:

Ousmane Dembele, PSG
Erling Haaland, Man City
Rodri, Man City (now with Barcelona)
Harry Kane, Bayern Munich
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, PSG
Lamine Yamal, Barcelona
Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid
Lionel Messi, Inter Miami
Michael Olise, Bayern Munich
Fabian Ruiz, PSG

The top 10 women’s finalists, in no order, are:

Temwa Chawinga, KC Current
Caroline Graham Hansen, Barcelona
Pernille Harder, Bayern Munich
Patricia Guijarro, Barcelona
Ewa Pajor, Barcelona
Claudia Pina, Barcelona
Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw, Man City
Alessia Russo, Arsenal
Alexia Putellas, Barcelona
Melchie Dumornay, OL Lyonnes

Men’s top 30 players, final order

t29. William Saliba, Arsenal/France
t29. Sadio Mane, Al Nassr/Senegal
28. Julian Quinones, Al Qadsiah/Mexico
27. Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United/Portugal
26. Dayot Upamecano, Bayern Munich/France
25. Marquinhos, PSG/Brazil
24. Luis Diaz, Bayern Munich/Colombia
23. Nuno Mendes, PSG/Portugal
22. Lautaro Martinez, Inter Milan/Argentina
21. Gabriel Magalhaes, Arsenal/Brazil
20. Willian Pacho, PSG/Ecuador
19. Joao Neves, PSG/Portugal
18. Marc Cucurella, Chelsea/Spain
17. Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid/Brazil
16. Ferran Torres, Barcelona/Spain
15. Declan Rice, Arsenal/England
14. Vitinha, PSG/Portugal
13. Achraf Hakimi, PSG/Morocco
12. Pau Cubarsi, Barcelona/Spain
11. Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid/England
10. Fabian Ruiz, PSG/Spain
9. Michael Olise, Bayern Munich/France
8. Erling Haaland, Man City/Norway
7. Ousmane Dembele, PSG/France
6. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, PSG/Georgia
5. Lionel Messi, Inter Miami/Argentina
4. Rodri, Man City/Barcelona/Spain
3. Lamine Yamal, Barcelona/Spain
2. Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid/France
1. Harry Kane, Bayern Munich/England

Women’s top 30 players, final order

t28. Vivianne Miedema, Man City/Netherlands
t28. Melvine Malard, Manchester United/France
t28. Lorena, Kansas City Current/Brazil
27. Rose Lavelle, Gotham FC/USA
26. Alex Greenwood, Manchester City/England
25. Caroline Weir, Real Madrid/OL Lyonnes/Scotland
24. Kerstin Casparij, Manchester City/Netherlands
23. Momoko Tanikawa, Bayern Munich/Japan
22. Manaka Matsukubo, North Carolina Courage/Japan
21. Selma Bacha, OL Lyonnes/France
20. Scarlett Camberos, Club America/Mexico
19. Tessa Wullaert, Como/Inter Milan/Belgium
18. Barbra Banda, Orlando Pride/Zambia
17. Esmee Brugts, Barcelona/Netherlands
16. Mapi Leon, Barcelona/London City Lionesses/Spain
15. Cata Coll, Barcelona/Spain
14. Wendie Renard, OL Lyonnes/France
13. Mariona Caldentey, Arsenal/Spain
12. Klara Buhl, Bayern Munich/Germany
11. Yui Hasegawa, Manchester City/Japan
10. Tenwa Chawinga, Kansas City Current/Malawi
9. Alessia Russo, Arsenal/England
8. Claudia Pina, Barcelona/Spain
7. Pernille Harder, Bayern Munich/Denmark
6. Caroline Graham Hansen, Barcelona/Norway
5. Patri Guijarro, Barcelona/Spain
4. Melchie Dumornay, OL Lyonnes/Haiti
3. Khadija Shaw, Man City/Jamaica
2. Ewa Pajor, Barcelona/Poland
1. Alexia Putellas, Barcelona/London City/Spain

It hasn’t been a good start to the 2026-27 season, but Bruno Fernandes is the Premier League Player of the Season and finished No. 27 on the list.

Here are the players named so far

26. Dayot Upamecano, Bayern Munich
27. Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United
28. Julian Quinones, Al Qadsiah
t29. William Saliba, Arsenal
t29. Sadio Mane, Al Nassr

England are a steady-enough international power, and Bayern Munich are a perennial superpower.

The Three Lions haven’t had a Ballon d’Or winner since 2001 while Bayern are well into their fifth decade of waiting for a winner (Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, 1981).

Kane’s production alone is enough to earn the trophy, but there would be a fresh element to his winning and that could play in the minds of voters.

For five-straight years, Barcelona and Spain have boasted the Ballon d’Or Feminin winner. Aitana Bonmati won the last three, while Alexia Putellas had the two before that and may claim a third this year.

Who else could it be?

• To be fair, it could be another Barcelona player as they won everything on offer last season. Poland’s Ewa Pajor is near the top of any odds list.
• Man City won the Women’s Super League and Bunny Shaw with brilliant for club and country (Jamaica)
• Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey (Spain) and Alessia Russo (England) won the first FIFA Women’s Champions Cup.

Fabian Ruiz won a Champions League this season and a World Cup, and that’s usually a solid route to favorites’ status.

Lamine Yamal, Pedri, and Pau Cubarsi won La Liga and the World Cup. Eric Garcia, Gavi, Dani Olmo, and Ferran Torres all did, too, but their roles weren’t likely big enough at either to overcome the favorites?

Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi, and David Raya won the Premier League and World Cup but played different roles in those, too.

And how about Rodri? He has won a Ballon d’Or and was the key to Spain’s World Cup. He was also very, very good in Man City’s cup wins but he missed quite a bit of time, only playing 21 PL games and five Champions League contests.

So often, the Ballon d’Or has gone to a player who was a big part of a club or country’s major win.

Kylian Mbappe has nothing like that but he does have a lot goals this year.: 43 with Real Madrid and almost 20 more for France including 10 goals and four assists at the World Cup as Les Bleus finished fourth.

The problem for Mbappe is that Kane has more goals, won the league with Bayern Munich, and his England even set down France in the World Cup’s third-place playoff.

It’s been 25 years since an Englishman won the Ballon d’Or. Will Harry Kane join Michael Owen’s 2001 triumph in the history books by the end of the day?

Bayern Munich star Kane is the favorite to claim the award but the trophies won around Europe this season open the door to a number of stars.

Kane’s excellent World Cup and Bundesliga triumph do have him well-suited for the honor.

It’s not often Lionel Messi is a dark horse but his exemplary World Cup Final run and demolition of Major League Soccer are sure to be noted by voters.

Here is a list of all previous winners.

The last two Arsenal coaches are among the five men who could win Men’s Coach of the Year.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and Aston Villa leader Unai Emery are two of four Spanish managers on the final list.

World Cup winner Luis de la Fuente (Spain) and UEFA Champions League winner Luis Enrique (PSG) are joined by Belgian manager Vincent Kompany of Bayern Munich.

On the women’s side, Man City boss Andree Jeglertz, OL Lyonnes manager Jonatan Giraldez, BK Hacken’s Elena Sadiku, Japan’s Nils Nielsen, and Barcelona leader Pere Romeu.

Aitana Bonmati of Barcelona and Spain has won three-straight Ballons d’Or but there’s a new winner coming our way this season.

Spain still figures to feature heavily in this year’s voting. Alexia Putellas has moved to the London City Lionesses and won the last two Ballons d’Or not won by Bonmati.

She’s the favorite after Barca won pretty much everything on offer and Spain won the Nations League.

Here’s a list of all the Ballon d’Or Feminin winners dating back to the first award in 2018.

The men’s Ballon d’Or voters are journalists from FIFA’s 100 top-ranked member nations, while the women’s honor is determined by a field half that size.

Each voter picks 10 players from the 30-man shortlist, with first-place votes worth more than 10th.

10th place is worth 1 point, and a point is added until the top three. A third-place vote is worth 10 points, second brings in 12 points, and first place delivers 15 points.