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Sport WorldBriefFootball Checked story Published 27 October 2026 · Updated 27 Oct, 14:41 UTC

Ballon d'Or 2026: Harry Kane and Alexia Putellas win the top awards in London

Harry Kane and Alexia Putellas won the Men's and Women's Ballon d'Or at the 2026 ceremony at the London Palladium on 26 October, according to the full winners list published by UEFA, which co-organises the award with France Football. DW reported Kane's win on 27 October and BBC Sport reports it ends England's 25-year wait for a men's winner.

Harry Kane playing for England (file photo)
Photo: Bryan Berlin via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · (File photo — not from this match)
Verified Harry Kane (England, FC Bayern München) won the Men's Ballon d'Or and Alexia Putellas (Spain, FC Barcelona / London City Lionesses) won the Women's Ballon d'Or at the 2026 ceremony.

Key points

  • Men's Ballon d'Or: Harry Kane (England, Bayern Munich), per UEFA's official winners list.
  • Women's Ballon d'Or: Alexia Putellas (Spain, Barcelona / London City Lionesses).
  • The 70th-anniversary ceremony was held on 26 October at the London Palladium — the first time the ceremony was held there, per UEFA.
  • Bukayo Saka received the Sócrates Award for solidarity action; Lamine Yamal and Vicky López were the Young Talent winners.

Watch: the moment itself

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What happened

The Ballon d'Or, presented annually since 1956, is football's best-known individual award, and the 2026 edition was the first held in London — at the Palladium — to mark its 70th anniversary, according to UEFA, which has co-organised it with France Football since 2024.

UEFA published the full winners list after the Monday 26 October ceremony. Kane also took the Men's Striker of the Year award on the same night, and Spain and FC Barcelona figured heavily across the women's and youth awards.

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West Ham sack Nuno Espírito Santo: head coach leaves with immediate effect after back-to-back home defeats, Mark Noble in temporary charge

West Ham United have sacked head coach Nuno Espírito Santo. In a statement on Tuesday 3 November 2026 the club said the men's first-team head coach 'has left his position with immediate effect' after 'a thorough review of the start to the EFL Championship season', with the board believing 'a change is necessary at this time in order to ensure that the club's objectives and expectations remain on track'. Assistant head coach Rui Pedro Silva and goalkeeper coach Rui Barbosa have also departed, the process of recruiting a new head coach is under way, and Mark Noble, Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville will take temporary charge of squad preparations ahead of Wednesday evening's EFL Championship fixture at Cardiff City; the club will make no further comment until the appointment of the new head coach is confirmed. West Ham sit eighth in the Championship after 13 games, after back-to-back home defeats — 3–2 by Southampton and 3–1 by West Brom on Saturday. Reports linking former Hammers midfielder Scott Parker with the job are widespread but are not a club announcement, and are carried on this page as Not yet verified.

  • VerifiedWest Ham United confirmed on Tuesday 3 November 2026 that men's first-team head coach Nuno Espírito Santo has left his position with immediate effect. The club said: 'Following a thorough review of the start to the EFL Championship season, the board of directors believe that a change is necessary at this time in order to ensure that the club's objectives and expectations remain on track.'
  • VerifiedAssistant head coach Rui Pedro Silva and goalkeeper coach Rui Barbosa have also departed. The process of recruiting a new head coach is already under way; Mark Noble, Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville will take temporary charge of squad preparations ahead of Wednesday evening's EFL Championship fixture at Cardiff City, and the club will make no further comment until the appointment of the new head coach is confirmed.
  • VerifiedNuno replaced Graham Potter at the London Stadium in September 2025 on a three-year contract, oversaw West Ham's relegation from the Premier League last season — they finished 18th — and was kept on in May to lead the promotion bid. This season West Ham sit eighth in the Championship after 13 games, with back-to-back home defeats sealing his departure: 3–2 by Southampton and then 3–1 by West Brom on Saturday, a third home defeat in seven, after a run of two wins in seven games that followed a 6–0 win over Wrexham at the start of September.
3 verified· 0 disputed· 1 not yet verified· 0 corrected
3 hrs ago
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Super Falcons receive their $100,000 WAFCON reward — the Sports Commission confirms Tinubu's pledge is paid, 15 months on

Nigeria's Super Falcons have begun receiving the naira equivalent of the $100,000 each that President Bola Tinubu pledged to them after their record-extending 10th Women's Africa Cup of Nations title in Morocco in July 2025, the National Sports Commission (NSC) confirmed in a statement on Monday 2 November 2026. Members of the technical crew receive the equivalent of $50,000 each. Reports of the NSC statement put the payment at about ₦140 million per player, though some outlets, applying a different exchange rate, put it at about ₦134 million — the settled figure is the dollar pledge itself. The cash completes the reward package announced at a State House reception on 28 July 2025, two days after the Falcons came from 2–0 down to beat hosts Morocco 3–2 in the Rabat final; the package's apartment title documents and national-honour certificates had been received earlier, the reports say. NSC chairman Shehu Dikko said the President 'has honoured his commitment to them in full', and captain Rasheedat Ajibade thanked him for keeping his word.

  • VerifiedThe National Sports Commission confirmed on Monday 2 November 2026 that the Super Falcons' players have received — and begun receiving — the naira equivalent of President Bola Tinubu's $100,000-per-player reward pledge, with members of the technical crew receiving the equivalent of $50,000 each, completing the cash component of the reward package for the team's 10th WAFCON title.
  • VerifiedThe pledge was made at a presidential reception for the team at the State House in Abuja on 28 July 2025, two days after the Super Falcons came from 2–0 down to beat hosts Morocco 3–2 in the WAFCON final in Rabat on 26 July 2025, winning a record-extending 10th continental title; the President approved the naira equivalent of $100,000 for each of the 24 players and $50,000 for each member of the technical team.
  • VerifiedNSC chairman Shehu Dikko said: 'The Super Falcons made Nigeria proud, and Mr President has honoured his commitment to them in full,' adding that some Nigerian sports heroes had endured years of waiting for promised rewards; team captain Rasheedat Ajibade thanked President Tinubu for keeping his word, describing the payment as recognition of the team's achievement.
4 verified· 0 disputed· 0 not yet verified· 0 corrected
9 hrs ago
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Benfica 1–0 Alverca: Pavlidis's penalty settles a night the visitors made the giants work for every inch

SL Benfica beat FC Alverca 1–0 at the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica in Lisbon on Monday 2 November 2026, in Liga Portugal Matchday 10. After a goalless first half, Vangelis Pavlidis converted a penalty in the 51st minute for the game's only goal. Alverca made the favourites work for it: the visitors matched Benfica's six shots on target, and goalkeeper Samuel Soares made six saves to keep his clean sheet — per the Sportradar Liga Portugal match record, read in full, and Sports Mole's match page.

  • VerifiedSL Benfica beat FC Alverca 1–0 at the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica on Monday 2 November 2026 in Liga Portugal Matchday 10 (0–0 at half-time): Vangelis Pavlidis scored the only goal, a penalty, in the 51st minute, and the match ended at 90+5 minutes.
  • VerifiedAlverca matched Benfica's six shots on target: the team statistics read 61% possession to Benfica and 17 shots to 9 overall, but 6 shots on target each, with Benfica goalkeeper Samuel Soares making six saves and Alverca's Matheus Mendes five.
  • VerifiedThe breakthrough came six minutes after a half-time change: Claudio Echeverri replaced Andreas Schjelderup at the start of the second half, and Pavlidis's penalty followed in the 51st minute.
3 verified· 0 disputed· 0 not yet verified· 0 corrected
15 hrs ago
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