Kane was named the 2026 Ballon d’Or winner following a remarkable campaign with club and country in which he scored 73 goals in 65 total appearances for Bayern Munich and England. However, the World XI lineup voted on by fellow professionals surprisingly excluded the English forward.
The omission marks the first time since the introduction of the FIFPRO World XI in 2005 that a reigning Ballon d’Or recipient failed to secure a spot in the team, breaking a streak held by every previous winner.
In the voting results, Kane was edged out of the forward positions by Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, and Lionel Messi.
