One Ballon d'Or, three “winners”: official site jumps the gun before the gala
Kane, Mbappé and Lamine Yamal were each named the winner in three articles on the official website. The posts were taken down before the ceremony.
The 2026 Ballon d'Or had three “winners” before the trophy was even handed out. On Monday, Oct. 26, the award's official website published articles naming Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal as winner of the men's prize, each in a separate story.
The articles described their wins as done deals. Their appearance sparked speculation about a possible leak of the final top three, just hours before the ceremony in London.
- The Kane version highlighted a 61-goal season.
- The Mbappé version celebrated what it described as his first Ballon d'Or.
- The Yamal version claimed that, at 19, he had become the youngest winner in the award's history.
Three different answers to the question the gala was supposed to settle.
All three posts were taken down, but screenshots were already circulating on social media. For a few minutes, the award's website had offered three different answers to the question the gala was supposed to settle.
The existence of those versions suggests stories had been prepared for different outcomes. On its own, however, it doesn't identify the winner or prove that the voting results were leaked.
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