Alexia Putellas wins third Ballon d'Or Féminin at 2026 ceremony in London

Alexia Putellas has won the Ballon d'Or Féminin for the third time in her career. The BBC, ESPN and AP all report the result.

The 2026 ceremony was held in London. It was delayed by 45 minutes because of traffic. Al Jazeera reported that, after the delay, the event was scheduled to begin at about 20:45 GMT and to last about two hours. According to ESPN, it took place at the London Palladium and was the 70th edition of the awards.

Ewa Pajor finished behind Putellas in the women's voting. According to the BBC, Pajor was second and Khadija Shaw third. The BBC said an international panel of journalists from FIFA's top-50 ranked countries conducted the vote. ESPN listed Melchie Dumornay among the players Putellas beat.

Aitana Bonmatí won the women's award in each of the previous three years. According to the BBC, Putellas now shares the record of three wins with Bonmatí, who won in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Putellas also won in 2021 and 2022. The BBC said a Spanish player has now won the award for a sixth consecutive year. The only non-Spanish winners have been Ada Hegerberg (2018) and Megan Rapinoe (2019).

Her season

Putellas played for Barcelona in 2025-26. The club won the Women's Champions League that season. Barcelona is now her former club. According to the BBC, Putellas, 32, joined Women's Super League club London City Lionesses in July, after Barcelona won a quadruple. The BBC reported that she scored 21 goals and provided 13 assists in all competitions in 2025-26. Seven of those goals came in the Women's Champions League. She has three goals and one assist in seven WSL games for London City Lionesses, the BBC said. The BBC also noted that she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2022, on the eve of Euro 2022.

In August, before the ceremony, Putellas told BBC's Women's Football Weekly podcast: "I'm just always looking forward to better things and that's why I'm here too, because I always need to be moving as a person and a player."

Men's award and other prizes

Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé were among the leading contenders for the men's award. ESPN reported that Kane won. Among the reports reviewed by Vocemundi, only ESPN describes this result. Al Jazeera's report predates it.

According to ESPN, Luis de la Fuente was named best men's coach and Pere Romeu best women's coach. Unai Simón and Cata Coll won the goalkeeper awards. Vicky Lopez won the young women's player award for a second straight year. Lamine Yamal won the young men's player award for a third straight year. ESPN said de la Fuente's Spain won the 2026 World Cup.

What is not yet clear

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include an official statement or results list from the award organisers. They do not include the full men's ranking or vote totals for any category. They also do not include reactions from the winners at the ceremony.

Analysis

Putellas's win is supported by three separate outlets. The men's result currently rests on one report. An official results list from the organisers would settle the men's ranking and the secondary awards. If ESPN's account is confirmed, the night would show a strong Spanish presence across several categories, according to the reports reviewed by Vocemundi. For the women's game, a third win for a player who has moved to the Women's Super League may draw attention to that league. It may also renew interest in a rivalry with Bonmatí for the record. How voters weighed club and international performances cannot be judged without published vote totals.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.