Media reports revealed the voting choices attributed to Saudi journalist Khalid Al-Arafa for the 2026 Ballon d'Or. French magazine France Football staged the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony in London in the early hours of Tuesday morning, where Harry Kane won the award.
The final standings
Kane polled the highest number of points from 100 journalists around the world, each representing one of the 100 highest-ranked nations in FIFA's rankings. Kylian Mbappe came second, with Lamine Yamal in third.
What GOAL said about Al-Arafa's vote
GOAL said media figure Mohammed Al-Khamis revealed on the programme In 90 on the Saudi Sports Channels that Al-Arafa was voting for the fourth year running. According to Mohammed Al-Khamis, Al-Arafa gave his first vote to Kane for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.
Players left out
According to Mohammed Al-Khamis, Al-Arafa did not include Achraf Hakimi in his selections. According to Mohammed Al-Khamis, Al-Arafa also left out Sadio Mane and Julian Quinones.
Where those players finished
Hakimi was the only Arab on the preliminary list of Ballon d'Or nominees, and he finished thirteenth in the 2026 Ballon d'Or ranking. Mane and Quinones filled the last two places in the 2026 Ballon d'Or ranking.