Ballon d'Or website briefly posts Kane, Mbappé and Yamal 'winner' articles before ceremony
The official Ballon d'Or website accidentally published articles naming Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal as winners an hour and a half before the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony at the London Palladium on October 26, 2026. The posts were removed shortly afterwards but screenshots circulated widely on social media.
Organisers are reportedly in astonishment and have initiated an inquiry into what transpired, according to Daily Mail journalist Nathan Salt. It is unclear whether the incident was a publication fault or something else, and there has been no official explanation for why three separate winner pages were created or who had access to them. The premature posts were described in reports as damaging to an award that relies on keeping the result secret until the final moment.
An article headlined "Harry Kane wins 2026 Ballon d’Or" appeared on the official site in the evening and was captured in screenshots that went viral. Social media users shared the images, including a post by MailSport, before the pages were taken down.
Supporters of English football celebrated the Kane post on social platforms, but attention quickly turned to the other pages after the site also showed stories naming Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal as winners. The simultaneous appearance of three different winner articles intensified confusion until the pages were removed.
Harry Kane, identified on the site as the Bayern Munich forward, is reported to have netted 73 goals for club and country last term and was described in coverage as among the red-hot favourites for the trophy. Reports also say Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal remain heavy favourites to win the men’s award.
News outlets and social media continued to monitor the Ballon d'Or website and related posts as organisers investigate; no formal statement explaining the origin of the uploads has been published. The mix of pages and the subsequent deletions prompted widespread attention online while the inquiry is underway.
The ceremony is taking place at the London Palladium Theatre in England on October 26, 2026. The main event will start at 1:30 AM IST on October 27.
