Here’s how the CBS Sports Golazo Network panel voted on the 2026 award
Oct 25, 2026 at 8:12 pm ET • 2 min read
The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony takes place Monday at the London Palladium, where the world’s top soccer players will compete for the sport’s most prestigious individual prize. Multiple awards will be presented, but the men’s Ballon d’Or remains the main attraction, with Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappé among the leading nominees.
Below is a breakdown of how the CBS Sports Golazo Network talent cast their ballots.
Voting System
The voting system weighs individual performances, team achievements, and career impact. Each placement in the top 10 receives a set number of points, which are then tallied:
- 15 points
- 12 points
- 10 points
- 8 points
- 7 points
- 5 points
- 4 points
- 3 points
- 2 points
- 1 point
The Votes
The voting panel included James Benge, Jimmy Conrad, Mike Grella, Aaron West, Nico Cantor, Nigel Reo-Coker, Tony Meola, Stefano Fusaro, Michael Lahoud, Charlie Davies, Chris Wittyngham, Geoff Shreeves, Francesco Porzio, Phil Kitromilides, Alex Pearlman, Lucas Panzica, Benny Feilhaber, Claudia Pagan, Troy Deeney, and Matteo Bonetti.
After tallying every ballot, here are the final Golazo Network results:
#1 Harry Kane — 234 points
#2 Lamine Yamal — 211 points
#3 Kylian Mbappé — 163 points
#4 Rodri — 117 points
#5 Michael Olise — 115 points
#6 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia — 106 points
#7 Lionel Messi — 106 points
#8 Erling Haaland — 45 points
#9 Ousmane Dembélé — 41 points
#10 Jude Bellingham — 34 points
Harry Kane of Bayern Munich leads the poll, finishing ahead of Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé.
