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A Record-Breaking Margin and Voting Breakdown
The competition between the two forwards remained intense throughout the voting process. Kylian Mbappe, the France captain, garnered 1,027 points and was selected as the top choice by 23 of the jurors. The 28-point gap between the winner and the runner-up surpasses the previous record for the smallest margin, which was set in 2024 when Rodri defeated Vinicius Junior by 41 points.
The voting panel consists of one journalist from each of the top 100 nations in the FIFA men's rankings. This year's tally highlights the competitive nature of the award, particularly when compared to the previous cycle, where Ousmane Dembele secured the title with a 321-point lead over Lamine Yamal.
Final Standings and Context
Lamine Yamal, who recently tasted success with Spain at the World Cup, rounded out the top three. The Barcelona talent finished with 881 points, placing him 174 points behind Kane. The detailed breakdown of the voting, published by France Football, provides full transparency on how each of the 100 jurors cast their ballots for the 2026 Men’s Ballon d’Or.
