Achraf Hakimi was Africa's best-placed player in the 2026 men's Ballon d'Or rankings, but the Morocco and Paris Saint-Germain right-back slipped to 13th, and no African finished inside the top 10 at Monday night's ceremony in London.

England captain Harry Kane won the award at the London Palladium, ahead of Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal. The full order of the 30-man shortlist, released by France Football, showed a thin year for the continent at the top of the vote.

Hakimi drops out of the top 10

Hakimi had finished sixth in 2025, a year in which Egypt's Mohamed Salah came fourth. This time the PSG full-back was placed 13th, behind Barcelona centre-back Pau Cubarsi (12th) and Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham (11th), and just ahead of club teammate Vitinha (14th).

His club still had a big night. PSG were named men's Club of the Year, and five other PSG players featured in the top 25: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (6th), Ousmane Dembele (7th), Fabian Ruiz (10th), Joao Neves (19th) and Willian Pacho (20th), with Nuno Mendes 23rd and Marquinhos 25th.

Mane the only other African

Senegal forward Sadio Mane, now with Saudi club Al-Nassr, was the only other African in the men's standings. He finished joint 29th, level with Arsenal defender William Saliba.

Mane's place on the list followed a 2026 World Cup campaign with Senegal. The voting period ran from 3 August 2025 to 19 July 2026, so the tournament in North America counted towards this year's award.

Moroccan trio miss out

Morocco had three players nominated across the night's categories, according to Moroccan outlet TelQuel:

  • Achraf Hakimi in the men's Ballon d'Or (13th).
  • Manchester City midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi for the Kopa Trophy for the best young player. The award went to Lamine Yamal for a third year in a row.
  • Al-Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou for the Yashin Trophy. Spain and Athletic Club goalkeeper Unai Simon won it.

The top 10

The 2026 men's top 10, as published after the ceremony:

  • 1. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
  • 2. Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)
  • 3. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
  • 4. Rodri (Manchester City/Barcelona)
  • 5. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
  • 6. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG)
  • 7. Ousmane Dembele (PSG)
  • 8. Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
  • 9. Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)
  • 10. Fabian Ruiz (PSG)

Kane also took the Gerd Muller Trophy for top scorer, while Spain's Alexia Putellas won the women's Ballon d'Or for a third time. Arsenal's Bukayo Saka received the Socrates Award for his work off the pitch.

The ceremony, co-organised by France Football and UEFA and hosted by Thierry Henry and Kate Scott, was held in London for the first time, partly as a tribute to Stanley Matthews, the first winner of the award in 1956.

Photos: Bryan Berlin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA. Sources: France Football via Goal, FourFourTwo, TelQuel, Khel Now.