Kane Is Favourite for the 2026 Ballon d'Or Men's Award

England captain and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane is the bookmakers' favourite to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or, the award for the world's best men's footballer. The ceremony takes place on Monday night in London and is the 70th edition. The result could be one of the closest in recent years.

Victory would make Kane the first Englishman to win since Michael Owen in 2001, and the first Bayern player to do so in 45 years. London was chosen as host to honour the first winner, Sir Stanley Matthews.

His main rivals are Spain and Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal, aged 19, and Real Madrid striker and France captain Kylian Mbappe. Yamal is aiming to become the youngest winner ever. A late surge in the betting has moved Mbappe up to second favourite behind Kane.

The numbers

Players are judged on the period from August 3, 2025 to July 19, 2026. Kane scored 73 goals for club and country, Mbappe 58 and Yamal 25. Kane won the Bundesliga and German Cup with Bayern and took the European Golden Shoe. In the Champions League Bayern reached the semi-finals, losing 6-5 on aggregate to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.

Mbappe won the World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals, but won no trophy with Real Madrid or France. Yamal helped Spain win the World Cup, though a hamstring injury ended his club season in April. He leads in assists, with 20 against Mbappe's 13 and Kane's eight.

Pundits' views

Former players including Jamie Carragher, Tim Sherwood and Michael Dawson say Kane deserves the award. Paul Merson says Yamal could win it several times in future years.