England's Kane, Bellingham and Rice make Ballon d'Or shortlist

Harry Kane is on the shortlist for the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or award along with England team-mates Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice. Bayern Munich sharpshooter Kane is the bookmakers' favourite to pick up the prestigious trophy on October 26, when the event will be held in London for the first time. Kane scored 73 goals in 65 matches for club and country during a season that saw him win another Bundesliga title, the German Cup and captain England to bronze at the World Cup. Holder Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Champions Leahue winners Paris Saint-Germain, Lamine Yamal and Rodri of Barcelona and world champions Spain as well as Real Madrid's France captain Kylian Mbappe are among the 33-year-old's rivals for the award, which was last won by an Englishman in 2001 when Michael Owen collected the trophy. Bruno Fernandes, Gabriel, Erling Haaland and William Saliba join Arsenal's Rice as current Premier League players vying for a trophy that will be handed out at the London Palladium. England internationals Alessia Russo and Alex Greenwood are among the 30-strong shortlist for the Women's Ballon d'Or, as are recent London City Lionesses arrivals Mapi Leon and Alexia Putellas of Spain. Yamal headlines the Men's Young Talent of the Year shortlist, which includes recent Aston Villa acquisition Johan Manzambi of Switzerland. Vozinha, 40, is among those nominated for the goalkeeper award after his Cape Verde World Cup exploits. Mikel Arteta from Premier League winners and Champions League runners-up Arsenal is up for Men's Coach of the Year and Manchester City boss Andree Jeglertz on the women's coaching side. City are also in the running for Women's Club of the Year and Arsenal are on the men's list. This is the 70th anniversary of the Ballon d'Or, which was created by France Football and has been co-organised with UEFA since 2024. This year's event has been moved from Paris to London in tribute to the inaugural winner, England and Blackpool star Stanley Matthews.