Ballon d'Or 2026: Harry Kane leads race to end England's 25-year wait
Bayern Munich's England captain is the bookmakers' favourite for Monday's award in London, but World Cup winner Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe are in contention.
At a glance
- Harry Kane is the bookmakers' favourite for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, awarded at the London Palladium on Monday.
- Kane scored 73 goals last season and won the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and German Supercup with Bayern Munich.
- Only four of the past 19 Ballon d'Or winners failed to lift a major title that year, and England finished third at the World Cup.
The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony takes place at the London Palladium this Monday, with Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane the bookmakers' leading candidate to become the first English player in 25 years to win football's most prestigious individual prize. Michael Owen was the last English winner, in 2001.
Kane's case rests on a season he has called "by far, the best season of my life." Al Jazeera reports he scored 73 goals last season, the highest tally since Lionel Messi's 82 in 2011-12. He scored 36 in the Bundesliga, making him the German league's top scorer for a third year running and earning him a second European Golden Shoe, finishing nine goals clear of Manchester City's Erling Haaland in the continental race.
The England captain, who is seemingly peaking at 33, also collected three trophies with Bayern: the Bundesliga title, the DFB-Pokal and the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup.
Champions League and World Cup shortfalls
Not everything went Kane's way. Al Jazeera notes that his failure to make an impact in the Champions League semifinal cost Bayern Europe's most coveted club trophy, and that England finished third at the recent World Cup.
That matters because recent Ballon d'Or history favours players who win major titles. Only four of the previous 19 winners failed to lift the Champions League, World Cup, European Championship or Copa America in the year they took the award. Those exceptions include record eight-time recipient Messi and five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
Kane's rivals include Spain's Lamine Yamal, who won the 2026 World Cup shortly after his 19th birthday, and France's 2018 world champion Kylian Mbappe, 27. Rodri, another World Cup winner with Spain and the 2024 Ballon d'Or recipient, is also in the field. When Kane made his Premier League debut for Tottenham Hotspur in 2014, Yamal was still in primary school.
Kane has stayed relatively quiet during the campaign, unlike the outspoken Yamal and Mbappe, who are campaigning hard for the award. Bayern have spoken up for their leader, putting together a video in which teammates said he should win.
"He deserves to win it, 100 percent, without a doubt," said Colombia's Luis Diaz, who is also on the shortlist.
Kane is bidding to succeed Ousmane Dembele, the 2025 winner, and to join Messi, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema among recent recipients who won in their 30s. If he wins, he would become only the fifth English player to do so, after Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Michael Owen.
As of Tuesday, Kane held about 65-70 percent market share to win the trophy.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- Who is favourite to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or?
- Harry Kane, the Bayern Munich and England forward, who held about 65-70 percent market share as of Tuesday. He is the bookmakers' leading candidate for the award.
- When did an English player last win the Ballon d'Or?
- Michael Owen in 2001, 25 years ago. If Kane wins, he would be the fifth English recipient after Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Owen.
- Who else is competing for the 2026 Ballon d'Or?
- Spain's Lamine Yamal, who won the 2026 World Cup shortly after turning 19, France's 2018 world champion Kylian Mbappe, and Rodri, the 2024 winner and a World Cup champion with Spain.
