Harry Kane Pips Kylian Mbappe By 28 Votes To Win His First Ballon d’Or

Last Updated:October 31, 2026, 08:45 IST

Bayern Munich’s Kane, the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001, received 40 first-place votes from the 100 jurors and a total of 1,055 points.

Harry Kane poses for photo with Ballon d’Or. (Picture Credit: AFP)

Harry Kane won the Ballon d’Or by the smallest margin under its current voting system when he edged Kylian Mbappe by 28 points, France Football which runs the awards, revealed on Friday.

The magazine published a breakdown of the votes in its Friday edition.

Bayern Munich’s Kane, the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001, received 40 first-place votes from the 100 jurors and a total of 1,055 points. France captain Mbappe of Real Madrid was placed first 23 times and finished with 1,027 points.

The previous smallest margin was 41 when Rodri, then of Manchester City, edged another Real player Vinicius Junior by 41 points in 2024.

Last season, Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele totalled 1,380 points as he finished 321 points ahead of Lamine Yamal of Barcelona.

This summer, Yamal won a World Cup with Spain but he finished third in the voting on 881 points, 174 behind Kane.

The Ballon d’Or is awarded following a vote by journalists (one per country) representing the top 100 nations in the FIFA rankings for men, and the top 50 for women.

(With inputs from AFP)

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What was the winning margin in the 2026 Ballon d’Or between Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe?

Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d’Or by edging Kylian Mbappe by a margin of 28 points. Kane finished with a total of 1,055 points and 40 first-place votes, while France captain Mbappe accumulated 1,027 points with 23 first-place votes.

Who was the last English player to win the Ballon d’Or before Harry Kane’s 2026 victory?

Michael Owen was the last Englishman to win the prestigious award in 2001, making Harry Kane the first English player to claim the honor in 25 years.

How many points did Lamine Yamal score to finish third in the 2026 Ballon d’Or voting?

Lamine Yamal finished third in the voting with a total of 881 points, placing him 174 points behind the winner Harry Kane.

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Harshit BishtSenior Sub-editor

Harshit Bisht is a sports journalist at CNN-News18, where he has been covering cricket, football, and major sporting events from around the world since July 1, 2024. Driven by a passion for storytelli…Read More

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