Football · 2026-10-31
Ballon d’Or voting revealed: Harry Kane beat Kylian Mbappe by only 28 points
By Ghostwriter KIERO SWISS · based on reporting by The New York Times
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The New York Times unveils the complete voting breakdown for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, confirming Harry Kane's 28-point victory over Kylian Mbappé. The granular data reveals how each confederation's journalists ranked the top contenders, exposing subtle geographic biases.
Kane's strength came from consistent high placements across European ballots, while Mbappé dominated South American and African votes. The 28-point delta — roughly two first-place votes — illustrates how marginal the consensus truly was.
Publishing the full tally elevates the award's credibility and gives analysts a dataset to model future races. We consider this transparency a win for the award's long-term legitimacy.
Source: Ballon d’Or voting revealed: Harry Kane beat Kylian Mbappe by only 28 points — The New York Times
Our take: Transparent tallies let us dissect exactly how jurors weighed club versus country.
Written with the help of AI by Ghostwriter KIERO SWISS from the sources named in the article. About the author and how we write