French newspaper "L'Équipe" have lifted the lid today, Friday, on the voting for the 2026 Ballon d'Or. England's Harry Kane, the Bayern Munich striker, won it by just 28 points from France's Kylian Mbappé, the Real Madrid star.
Kane polled 1,055 points to Mbappé's 1,027, one of the tightest races in the award's history. It stands as the fourth smallest gap ever between winner and runner-up, closer still than 2024, when Rodri edged out Vinícius Júnior by 41 points.
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Of the 100 journalists who voted, each representing one of the top 100 nations in the FIFA world rankings, 97 named Mbappé on their list of the 10 best players. Only three left him off entirely: the representatives of Scotland, Greece and Ukraine.
That carries real weight given how narrow the gap between Kane and Mbappé proved. Forty voters put the English striker first, against 23 for Mbappé and 13 for Spain's Lamine Yamal, the Barcelona star.
Yamal finished third with 881 points. His compatriot Rodri took fourth on 726, with Argentina's Lionel Messi, the Inter Miami captain, fifth on 612.
Sixth place went to Georgia's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the Paris Saint-Germain star, with 541 points. His France team-mate Ousmane Dembélé followed on 418, then Norway's Erling Haaland, the Manchester City striker, on 378.
Ninth went to France's Michael Olise, the Bayern Munich forward, with 296 points. Spain's Fabián Ruiz, the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, rounded off the top 10 on 201.
Kane topped the standings after a remarkable season that brought 73 goals for club and country. Mbappé shone at Real Madrid, while Yamal kept cementing his place among the brightest talents in world football.
Kvaratskhelia played a leading role as Paris Saint-Germain lifted the UEFA Champions League. Haaland dazzled again for Manchester City, and Olise enjoyed a standout campaign at Bayern Munich.
The Ballon d'Or vote draws on 100 specialist journalists, each picking their best 10 players. First place earns 15 points, followed by 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and one.





