Harry Kane has suffered a surprising setback after being left out of the 2026 FIFPRO World 11 despite winning the Ballon d’Or. The Bayern Munich striker narrowly missed out as Messi, Mbappé, Haaland and Yamal earned places.

OFFICIAL: 2026 Ballon d’Or Winner Left Out of the World’s Best XI

The winner of the 2026 Ballon d’Or has suffered a major surprise after being left out of the FIFPRO World 11, despite being named the best player in the world just two weeks earlier.

FIFPRO officially announced its 2026 Men’s World 11 on November 9, following votes from 19,806 professional footballers across 73 countries.

However, one of the biggest names in world football was missing from the final lineup.

Harry Kane, who won the 2026 Ballon d’Or in October, was not selected for the team.

Harry Kane makes unwanted history after Ballon d’Or victory

The Bayern Munich striker enjoyed an incredible 2025/26 season, scoring 73 goals for club and country across all competitions.

His outstanding performances helped him become the first English player to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001.

However, winning football’s biggest individual award was not enough to secure a place in the FIFPRO World 11.

According to Sky Sports, Kane is the first Ballon d’Or winner to miss out on the FIFPRO World 11 in the same year since the award began in 2005.

Haaland beats Kane by an incredibly small margin

One of the most surprising details was how close Kane came to making the team.

According to FIFPRO’s official voting results, the England captain received 27.6% of the votes.

Erling Haaland received 28.4%, finishing just 0.8 percentage points ahead of Kane.

Four forwards were selected for the final lineup:

Kylian Mbappé (46%), Lamine Yamal (37.4%), Lionel Messi (29.5%) and Erling Haaland (28.4%).

Despite his Ballon d’Or success, Kane finished fifth among the forwards and missed out on a place.

Messi makes history while Kane misses out

While Kane suffered disappointment, Lionel Messi celebrated another remarkable achievement.

The Inter Miami superstar earned his 18th FIFPRO World 11 selection, extending his record for the most appearances in the team’s history.

Meanwhile, Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal became the first player to be selected twice before turning 20.

The results have created an interesting debate because FIFPRO’s World 11 is chosen entirely by professional footballers.

For Kane, missing out by such a small margin just weeks after winning the Ballon d’Or is one of the most surprising moments of the 2026 football awards season.