Kane and Putellas take Ballon d’Ors as Fleetwood shock Arsenal and Antonelli seals F1 title

The week at a glance

Harry Kane and Alexia Putellas received the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or awards in London, with Kane becoming the first English winner in 25 years and Putellas collecting the prize for a third time. English football then produced an upset as fourth-tier Fleetwood Town eliminated Premier League champion Arsenal from the League Cup. At the end of the reporting period, ANTARA News reported that Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli had secured the 2026 Formula One world championship; El Financiero reported that the 20-year-old clinched it with third place at the Mexican Grand Prix.

Kane and Putellas receive top awards in London

La Nacion reported that Kane won the men’s Ballon d’Or following an award period in which he scored 73 goals across 65 appearances for Bayern Munich and England, alongside eight assists. He finished ahead of Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi in voting by journalists representing the top 100 countries in FIFA’s ranking. Kane also received the ceremony’s leading-scorer honor.

France24 said the result ended England’s 25-year wait for a winner of the men’s award. The presentation took place at the London Palladium, the first time London had hosted the ceremony. La Nacion reported that the move from its customary setting in Paris honored Stanley Matthews, the Englishman who became the award’s inaugural recipient in 1956.

Putellas added the 2026 women’s prize to her Ballon d’Or victories in 2021 and 2022. France24 reported that she helped Barcelona win the Champions League and succeeded teammate Aitana Bonmatí, whose three-year run as the winner ended. La Nacion listed Putellas with Barcelona and London City Lionesses for the award period. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente received the men’s coaching award, while Barcelona’s Pere Romeu took the women’s coaching honor.

Fleetwood overturn an 84-place gap

Fleetwood Town reached the League Cup quarter-finals by defeating Arsenal 5-3 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw. According to 1News, Fleetwood converted every spot kick at their 5,300-capacity Highbury Stadium. Goalkeeper Jay Lynch saved Bruno Guimarães’s penalty before Conor Haughey converted the decisive attempt.

The teams were separated by 84 positions in the English football pyramid. Fleetwood were 18th in League Two, had never previously advanced to that stage of the competition and were the lowest-ranked side left in the draw. Arsenal entered as Premier League champions. Although Arsenal omitted Declan Rice, Gabriel and David Raya, 1News reported that their team still contained experienced internationals, with captain Martin Ødegaard introduced at halftime.

Aaron Loupalo-Bi gave Fleetwood the lead before Viktor Gyökeres equalized for Arsenal in the 50th minute. Arsenal finished with 10 players following 16-year-old Max Dowman’s dismissal in the 85th minute. The Guardian reported that Dowman was sent off for reacting to a challenge. Fleetwood manager Matt Lawlor described the victory as exceptionally important, while Lynch told 1News that his side had drawn encouragement from fourth-tier Grimsby’s League Cup upset of Manchester United in the previous season.

Antonelli clinches Formula One title in Mexico

ANTARA News reported that Antonelli had been confirmed as the 2026 Formula One world champion. El Financiero provided the decisive race result: the Italian finished third over 71 laps at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, behind winner Max Verstappen and second-placed Lewis Hamilton. Antonelli crossed the line 4.006 seconds behind Verstappen and collected 15 championship points.

Antonelli started fourth, having initially qualified fifth before advancing one position through a penalty imposed on Verstappen. He entered the race with a 123-point lead over Mercedes teammate George Russell and a 124-point advantage over Hamilton. El Financiero reported that any finish in the top nine would secure the championship regardless of his rivals’ results, making third place sufficient for his first title.

At 20 years, two months and seven days, Antonelli became Formula One’s youngest world champion, according to El Financiero. Sebastian Vettel held the previous record, having taken his first championship in 2010 at 23 years and four months. Antonelli also became the third Italian driver to win the Formula One title.

The results behind Antonelli’s record

Before the Mexican Grand Prix, Antonelli’s 2026 season included nine victories, 15 podium finishes, seven pole positions and 365 championship points, El Financiero reported. The title arrived in his second Formula One campaign. He had recorded three podiums and 150 points during his 2025 debut season after Mercedes selected him to race alongside Russell.

Antonelli’s earlier record included Italian and ADAC Formula 4 championships in 2022, followed by Formula Regional titles in the Middle East and Europe. Mercedes then moved him into Formula 2 without a Formula 3 campaign before promoting him to its Formula One team. His third-place finish in Mexico completed that progression with the championship and a new age record.