Ballon d’Or 2026: Organisers reveal narrow vote margin Kane had over Mbappé

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane reportedly defeated Kylian Mbappé by a very narrow margin to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, with the difference in points smaller than the 41-point gap between Rodri and Vinícius Júnior in 2024.

Vincent Garcia, editor of France Football and the official overseeing the award, disclosed the information after Monday’s ceremony at the London Palladium in England.

Speaking to L’Équipe after the event, Garcia explained that the contest between Kane and Mbappé was decided by an exceptionally small number of points. France Football is expected to publish the complete voting results on Saturday.

Garcia said, “The points gap between Kane and Mbappé was smaller than the gap between Rodri and Vinícius Júnior in 2024, which was 41 points, and that was already a very narrow margin at the time.”

He added, “Kylian led the race for a long time, but Harry Kane came back into contention, and in the end, it was decided by a very, very small number of points.”

Kane, 33, secured his first Ballon d’Or after scoring 73 goals in 65 appearances for Bayern Munich and the England national team. Bayern also won the Bundesliga championship and the DFB-Pokal during the preceding season, while Kane scored six goals at the 2026 World Cup, where England finished third.

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Mbappé finished second, achieving his highest position in the award’s rankings, while Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal placed third. Mbappé also enjoyed an impressive campaign, scoring 25 goals in LaLiga, 15 in the UEFA Champions League and 10 at the World Cup. Kane became the first English player to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001.