Harry Kane says Ballon d’Or triumph would be ‘huge success’

Harry Kane says winning the Ballon d’Or would represent a “huge success” as he targets another strong season with Bayern Munich.

The England striker said he was grateful for the support of his team-mates and the club as he continues to pursue the individual award.

“I appreciate the great support I receive from my team-mates and the club. We are working hard together,” Kane told Bayern Munich’s website.

“No English player has won the Ballon d’Or for more than 20 years. Winning it would be a huge success for me, but my entire focus is on performing well again this season.”

The Ballon d’Or ceremony will be held in London on 26 October.

Ballon d’Or nominees

The nominees are:

– Jude Bellingham – England – Real Madrid – Pau Cubarsi – Spain – Barcelona – Marc Cucurella – Spain – Real Madrid and Chelsea – Ousmane Dembele – France – Paris Saint-Germain – Luis Diaz – Colombia – Bayern Munich – Bruno Fernandes – Portugal – Manchester United – Erling Haaland – Norway – Manchester City – Gabriel Magalhaes – Brazil – Arsenal – Harry Kane – England – Bayern Munich – Achraf Hakimi – Morocco – Paris Saint-Germain – Lamine Yamal – Spain – Barcelona – Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – Georgia – Paris Saint-Germain – Marquinhos – Brazil – Paris Saint-Germain – Sadio Mane – Senegal – Al-Nassr – Lautaro Martinez – Argentina – Inter – Kylian Mbappe – France – Real Madrid – Nuno Mendes – Portugal – Paris Saint-Germain – Lionel Messi – Argentina – Inter Miami – Michael Olise – France – Bayern Munich – Joao Neves – Portugal – Paris Saint-Germain – Willian Pacho – Ecuador – Paris Saint-Germain – Julian Quinones – Mexico – Al-Qadsiah – Declan Rice – England – Arsenal – Rodri – Spain – Manchester City and Barcelona – William Saliba – France – Arsenal – Dayot Upamecano – France – Bayern Munich – Vitinha – Portugal – Paris Saint-Germain – Vinicius Junior – Brazil – Real Madrid – Fabian Ruiz – Portugal – Paris Saint-Germain – Ferran Torres – Spain – Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona

How the nominees were selected

Players were assessed on their performances between 3 August 2025 and 19 July 2026, covering the 2025-26 season through to the 2026 World Cup final, in which Spain won the title.

The assessment period also included the Africa Cup of Nations and the final stage of the UEFA Women’s Nations League.

The selection criteria are individual performance, decisive and influential qualities, team performance and trophies won, and integrity and fair play.

Who votes?

The Ballon d’Or is decided by an international jury of specialist football journalists. There is one representative from each of the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings for the men’s award and each of the top 50 countries for the women’s award.

The FIFA rankings in effect when the nominees were announced on 8 September 2026 will be used.

The top 10 players in each voter’s selection receive 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 points respectively. The player with the highest total wins the Ballon d’Or.

If players finish level on points, the tie is decided by the number of first-place votes. If they remain level, second-place votes are considered, followed by third-place votes and so on.