Harry Kane wins 2026 Ballon d'Or, first Englishman in 25 years Harry Kane has won the 2026 Ballon d'Or at the Palladium Theatre in London, becoming the first English player to take the award in 25 years. Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe were also in contention. Harry Kane has won the 2026 Ballon d'Or, becoming the first Englishman in 25 years to claim the award. The ceremony was held at the Palladium Theatre in London, the first time the event has taken place outside France. Kane Ends English DroughtKane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe were the leading contenders, with Lionel Messi also in contention according to reports. The 70th Ballon d'Or ceremony was hosted by Kate Scott and Thierry Henry. Organisers honoured Stanley Matthews, the first-ever Ballon d'Or winner, by bringing the event to London. The family of Matthews arrived on the red carpet.The awards included the men's and women's Ballon d'Or plus best coach, best goalkeeper, best young player and best club. Kane's victory snaps a 25-year drought for English players. Michael Owen, the second-youngest winner ever and the last Englishman to take the prize, was in attendance. Kane arrived at the Palladium, a little over eight miles from his beloved Tottenham stadium, making the win extra special on home soil.A win for Kane had been expected to end the long English wait. Before the ceremony, the Ballon d'Or website published an article in error declaring Kane the winner. Similar profiles of Mbappe and Yamal also appeared. The articles were taken down and organisers said they had prepared for any eventuality.Bookmakers Favored Kane And MbappeBookmakers had made it a two-horse race between Kane and Mbappe, with Yamal dropping out of favour in the final 24 hours. Mbappe became the first Frenchman to finish in the Top 10 of the Ballon d'Or standings, regardless of the remaining voting results. Yamal had a chance to break Ronaldo Nazario's record as the youngest winner.The rankings for the men's vote from 21st to 30th were announced, as were positions 19 to 11 in the Ballon d'Or Feminin vote. There was drama outside the venue as fans became unruly trying to get closer to the players, and police intervened to keep the peace. The red carpet concluded before guests took their seats.London Crowds Gather For Red CarpetIt was a wet day in London, but crowds flocked to the red carpet area off Oxford Street, held back by high fences and security. Reporters were positioned on the red carpet ahead of the festivities. The red carpet arrivals began around 7 p.m. local time, with the ceremony starting at the top of the hour. Europe had ended daylight savings time on Sunday, creating a four-hour time difference from North America.The men's rankings from 30 to 11 were expected late afternoon European time before the evening gala. Kane, Yamal, Mbappe and Messi were all in the running for the men's award. The 2026 Ballon d'Or gala followed a year of goals, trophies and speculation. The event marked the first time the ceremony was held outside France in its 70-year history.Four different players had won the award in each of the last four years. Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane were confirmed as the main candidates before the winner was revealed. The women's award and other honours were also presented during the evening. The ceremony concluded with Kane named the 2026 men's Ballon d'Or winner.