France Football chief reveals how close Mbappe came to beating Kane to the Ballon d'Or

France Football editor-in-chief Vincent Garcia says the race for the 2026 Ballon d’Or was extremely tight in London, with Harry Kane edging Kylian Mbappé by fewer than 41 points. Garcia revealed the voting mechanics and the margin: the award is decided by votes from 100 journalists representing the top 100 nations in FIFA’s world rankings, each selecting their top 10 players with 15 points for first place and one for 10th. Kane won after a strong 2025/26 season ahead of Mbappé, while Mbappé finished second despite topping La Liga scoring, winning Champions League campaign honors, and ending the year with the 2026 World Cup. Garcia also explained why Mbappé reportedly finished third in part due to how votes for Spain’s World Cup triumph split between Lamine Yamal and Rodri.