Harry Kane nominated for 2026 Ballon d’Or after historic 73-goal season

Harry Kane has landed on the 30-player shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, capping off what might be the most prolific individual season in football since Lionel Messi seemed to break the sport back in 2012.

Kane’s 73 goals across club and country during the 2025-26 campaign slot him into second place on the all-time single-season scoring chart. Only Messi’s almost mythological 82-goal haul from 2011-12 sits above him.

The numbers behind the nomination

The breakdown of Kane’s season reads like a video game stat line. He netted 61 goals for Bayern Munich, powering the German club to a Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double. Then he added 12 more in an England shirt, including six during the 2026 World Cup, where the Three Lions secured a third-place finish.

Kane himself has called it his best season to date. The historic significance of the goal tally clearly isn’t lost on him.

Bookmakers seem to agree with the sentiment. Kane is currently the favorite to take home the award, with odds ranging between 8/13 and 13/10 depending on where you look.

If he does win, it would mark a milestone that English football has been waiting on for a quarter century. The last Englishman to claim the Ballon d’Or was Michael Owen in 2001.

A stacked shortlist

The 30-player nomination list, officially released on September 8, 2026, features several other serious contenders. Kylian Mbappé is on there, as is Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal. Reigning Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembélé earned a spot on the list again. Dembélé himself named Kane among his top three candidates for the award. Rodri, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Jude Bellingham round out the most prominent names on the shortlist.

What to watch on October 26

The ceremony is set for October 26, 2026, in London. An English player would potentially be winning the Ballon d’Or for the first time in 25 years, picking up the trophy on home soil.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.