Ballon d’Or 2026: Kane Wins, Hakimi 13th, Bounou 8th

Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d’Or at a ceremony in London on Monday, October 26, becoming the first Englishman to take the award in 25 years. Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi finished 13th, while goalkeeper Yassine Bounou and midfielder Ayoub Bouaddi were ranked in the Yashin and Kopa trophy standings.

Ballon d’Or 2026 winner: Harry Kane

Kane, 33, of Bayern Munich, edged Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé into second place, with Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal third. He scored 73 goals for club and country in 2025/26, was the Bundesliga’s top scorer for a third straight season and netted 14 Champions League goals as Bayern reached the semi-finals. Bayern also retained the Bundesliga title as part of a domestic treble.

The ceremony, the 70th edition, was held at the London Palladium. Alexia Putellas won the women’s Ballon d’Or, Yamal took the young player award, Unai Simón was named best goalkeeper, Luis de la Fuente was coach of the year and Paris Saint-Germain won club of the year.

How Moroccan players ranked

• Achraf Hakimi (PSG): 13th in the men’s Ballon d’Or ranking, the highest-placed Moroccan. He was sixth in 2025.
• Yassine Bounou: 8th in the Yashin Trophy standings for goalkeepers, ahead of Édouard Mendy (9th) and Gregor Kobel (10th). Spain’s Unai Simón topped the list.
• Ayoub Bouaddi: 6th in the Kopa Trophy ranking for the best young player, won by Lamine Yamal.

None of the three won an individual prize, but having three Moroccans recognised in the same year shows how far the Atlas Lions’ talent pool has grown. Hakimi captained Morocco at the 2026 World Cup, where the team reached the quarter-finals, and earned his 100th cap there.

Key facts

• Winner: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001.
• Top three: Kane, Mbappé, Yamal.
• Venue and date: London Palladium, October 26, 2026.
• Voting: 100 journalists, each ranking 10 players from a 30-player shortlist.

Mbappé’s place on the podium follows his late winner in El Clásico, and Moroccan fans can also follow another rising name in our story on Yassir Zabiri’s late winner for Racing Santander.

Sources: UEFA, ESPN, Morocco World News, Africa Soccer