Harry Kane clinched the 2026 Ballon d’Or ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal, but behind-the-scenes voting details revealed that the Bayern Munich striker’s victory remained hanging in the balance until the final stages of the race.
Vincent Garcia, chief editor of France Football magazine, revealed that the standings among the contenders did not settle early, and that more than one candidate possessed a genuine opportunity to walk away with the trophy at the London ceremony.
“The margin was even smaller than the gap between Rodri and Vinícius in 2024,” Garcia said, referencing the 41-point margin that separated the Spaniard and the Brazilian that year, without disclosing the precise final point tallies for Kane and Mbappé in his remarks.
The head of the French publication explained that Mbappé led the voting for an extended period before Kane staged a late surge to snatch first place, noting that the Frenchman’s extraordinary season made the competition between them remarkably close.
As for Yamal, his chances were impacted by the splitting of votes between himself and his Spain national teammate Rodri, according to Garcia’s assessment. He noted that Spain’s World Cup victory was driven by collective strength, making it challenging for voters to single out one star for the ultimate accolade.
This reasoning extended to Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, with Garcia criticizing the lack of consensus around a single candidate, arguing that backing multiple names weakened their overall campaign—as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia finished sixth, Ousmane Dembélé seventh, and Fabian Ruiz tenth.
In contrast, Kane entered the race backed by a staggering tally of 73 goals in 65 appearances for Bayern and England during the 2025–2026 season, alongside a domestic treble with the Bavarian club and a World Cup bronze medal with his national team.
The award relies on a jury of journalists—one from each of the top 100 nations in the FIFA rankings—evaluating individual performance, collective achievements, and fair play; a formula that ultimately swung the balance in Kane’s favor and brought the Ballon d’Or back to an English player for the first time since Michael Owen in 2001.
