The Bayern Munich forward finished with 1,055 points compared to 1,027 points for the Real Madrid attacker, marking one of the closest margins in the history of the award.
The voting period for the 2026 prize ran from August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026, accounting for performances in both club competitions and national teams. An international jury consisting of 100 specialized journalists—one representative per country—decided the winner through a ranked voting system.
How the Ballots Broke Down for Kane and Mbappé
While the overall point gap was narrow, voting panels displayed distinct preferences at the top of their ballots. The English striker received 40 first-place votes from the 100 participating journalists, while the French forward was selected as the best player by 23 voters.
Behind the top two, Lamine Yamal finished in third place with 881 points and 13 first-place votes. Fellow countryman and midfield teammate Rodri Hernández placed fourth with 726 points, collecting 10 first-place selections.
Historical Context of Close Balloting
Vincent Garcia, editor-in-chief of France Football, noted that Yamal’s total was affected by a split in support among Spanish voters due to Rodri’s simultaneous candidacy. The tight race at the summit ranks among the narrowest decisions in the accolade’s history, second only to the 2019 poll where Lionel Messi defeated Virgil van Dijk by seven votes (686 to 679).
📊 Harry Kane 🆚 Kylian Mbappé — For Club and Country this season: 🏴 Kane🏟️ 73 games⚽️ 79 goals🎯 9 assists📊 88 goal contributions🇫🇷 Mbappé🏟️ 63 games⚽️ 59 goals🎯 13 assists📊 72 goal contributionsClass. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/RmxeiTszKS
Other historically close margins include Matthias Sammer defeating Ronaldo Nazário by a single point in 1996 (144 to 143), and Bobby Charlton edging Eusébio 81 votes to 80 in 1966 when a 22-person jury decided the winner.
Alexia Putellas Wins the Women’s Ballon d’Or
In the Women’s Ballon d’Or category, Alexia Putellas secured the 2026 prize with a clearer margin over runner-up Ewa Pajor. The Spanish midfielder collected 618 points to Pajor’s 532, a difference of 86 points.
Putellas was named the world’s best player by 28 members of the 50-person voting panel, while the Polish forward received 12 first-place votes.
Full Voting Standings for the 2026 Ballon d’Or
Further down the men’s voting list, Leo Messi finished fifth with 612 points, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia sixth with 541 points, Ousmane Dembélé seventh with 418 points, Erling Haaland eighth with 378 points, Michael Olise ninth with 296 points, and Fabián Ruiz tenth with 201 points. Additional players receiving votes included Jude Bellingham with 107 points, Pau Cubarsí with 101 points, Achraf Hakimi with 65 points, Vitinha with 59 points, Declan Rice with 57 points, Ferran Torres with 44 points, Vinicius with 26 points, Marc Cucurella with 16 points, Joao Neves with 15 points, Willian Pacho with 12 points, Gabriel Magalhaes and Lautaro Martínez with 11 points each, Nuno Mendes and Luis Díaz with 8 points each, Marquinhos with 7 points, Dayot Upamecano and Bruno Fernandes with 5 points each, Julián Quiñones with 4 points, and William Saliba and Sadio Mané with 2 points each.
In the women’s rankings following Putellas and Pajor, Khadija Shaw placed third with 344 points, Melchie Dumornay fourth with 342 points, Patri Guijarro fifth with 221 points, Caroline Graham Hansen and Pernille Harder sixth and seventh with 220 points each, Claudia Pina and Alessia Russo eighth and ninth with 155 points each, Temwa Chawinga tenth with 113 points, Yui Hasegawa and Klara Bühl eleventh and twelfth with 89 points each, Mariona Caldentey thirteenth with 69 points, Wendie Renard and Cata Coll fourteenth and fifteenth with 21 points each, Mapi León sixteenth with 20 points, Esmee Brugts seventeenth with 19 points, Barbra Banda eighteenth with 18 points, Tessa Wullaert and Selma Bacha nineteenth and twentieth with 15 points each, Scarlett Camberos twenty-first with 14 points, Manaka Matasukubo twenty-second with 9 points, Momoko Tanikawa twenty-third with 8 points, Kerstin Casparij, Caroline Weir and Alex Greenwood twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth with 7 points each.
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