Ballon d'Or Website Accidentally Publishes Articles for Three Different Winners

The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony faced unexpected chaos ahead of the awards evening at the London Palladium Theatre, after the event's official website accidentally published articles declaring three different players as the winner. The pieces, which named Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé, and Lamine Yamal, went live roughly an hour and a half before the event started.

The premature publication caught organizers by surprise, prompting an immediate investigation into how the error occurred, according to Daily Mail journalist Nathan Salt. The leak threatened the secrecy of one of international football's most prestigious individual honors, which relies on keeping the final voting results confidential until the official announcement.

The mistaken posts were quickly taken down by site administrators, but not before social media users captured screenshots of the articles. The first piece to be removed was dedicated to England captain Harry Kane, highlighting his record-breaking number of league and cup goals for club and country during the 2025-2026 season. Fans of English football briefly celebrated before discovering similar articles had been published for his fellow favorites.

Following the removal of the Kane article, the piece celebrating Kylian Mbappé was also taken down. That article credited the French star's consistency and a record-breaking World Cup performance alongside his goal-scoring success for Real Madrid as the factors driving his first Ballon d'Or triumph.

The article detailing Lamine Yamal's supposed victory remained online the longest. It claimed that the 19-year-old Spanish player had set an unprecedented record by becoming the youngest winner in the history of the award, which was established in 1956. The piece noted that Yamal surpassed previous young victors like Ronaldo Nazário and Lionel Messi.

Kane, Mbappé, and Yamal entered the evening as the heavy favorites to capture the men's award. The list of nominees also featured several notable players, including Jude Bellingham, who finished just outside the top ten in the eleventh position after a strong campaign at the World Cup and a successful start to the season under manager José Mourinho.

With Spain securing victory at the World Cup over the summer, six Spanish players—Yamal, Rodri, Fabián Ruiz, Ferran Torres, Pau Cubarsí, and Marc Cucurella—earned nominations for the 2026 award. As the final rankings rolled out, Dembele, Haaland, Kane, Kvaratskhelia, Mbappe, Messi, Olise, Rodri, Ruiz, and Yamal ultimately rounded out the top ten spots.