Summary of the top 10 Ballon d'Or 2026 contenders before Harry Kane claimed the award.
On 27 Oct 2026 GMT+7, the top 10 Ballon d'Or 2026 contenders were summarized before Harry Kane emerged as the Men's Best Footballer of the Year at the ceremony held at the London Palladium in London, England.
The final three contenders were Lamine Yamal, a 19-year-old rising winger from Barcelona and standout player in Spain's 2026 World Cup-winning team; Kylian Mbappé, the prolific French striker from Real Madrid; and Harry Kane, captain of England and Bayern Munich striker, winners of the German Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal in the latest season.
1. Harry Kane (England / Bayern Munich)
2. Kylian Mbappé (France / Real Madrid)
3. Lamine Yamal (Spain / Barcelona)
4. Rodri (Spain / Manchester City) *before his move to Barcelona
5. Lionel Messi (Argentina / Inter Miami)
6. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia / Paris Saint-Germain)
7. Ousmane Dembélé (France / Paris Saint-Germain)
8. Erling Haaland (Norway / Manchester City)
9. Michael Olise (France / Bayern Munich)
10. Fabián Ruiz (Spain / Paris Saint-Germain)
Ultimately, the 2026 Ballon d'Or was awarded to Harry Kane after he scored 61 goals in all competitions for Bayern Munich, surpassing other players in Europe's top five leagues by 19 goals. This marks the highest single-season goal tally since Cristiano Ronaldo scored 61 goals for Real Madrid 11 years ago.
Including 12 goals for the England national team last season (6 of which were at the 2026 World Cup), Kane's total reached 73 goals. Only one player in Europe's top leagues has scored more in a single season: Lionel Messi with 82 goals for Barcelona and Argentina in the 2011-12 season.
