The organization of the Ballon d'Or 2026 has starred this Monday in a publication error that has generated confusion a few hours before the delivery of the main individual award in world football. The official website published three different articles proclaiming winners as Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé, and Harry Kane, despite the fact that the name of the winner had not yet been announced during the ceremony held in London.
The publications appeared during the afternoon of Monday, while the positions of some of the thirty candidates for the men's award were being revealed. The articles, written as if the result were already official, remained accessible for several minutes before being removed from the website.
The error caused a rapid spread of screenshots on social media and raised questions about the possibility that the result of the voting had been leaked. However, the existence of three different news articles, each with a different winner, pointed to the accidental publication of materials prepared in advance.
Three articles proclaiming three winners
The first publication that began to circulate announced the victory of the English forward Harry Kane, player of Bayern Munich. The text highlighted his goal-scoring performance during the 2025-2026 season and presented his candidacy as deserving of the award.
Subsequently, two other news articles appeared proclaiming winners as Lamine Yamal, from Barcelona, and Kylian Mbappé, from Real Madrid. In the case of the Spanish international, the article highlighted that he would become the youngest winner in the history of the Ballon d'Or, while the publication dedicated to the French forward emphasized his consistency at the elite level.
The three texts were written in the usual format of official news about the awardees and appeared on the same website of the organization.
The simultaneous publication of incompatible versions ruled out that the three could correspond to the definitive result. Shortly after, the links stopped working and the articles were removed.
The organization assures that the result was not leaked
After the dissemination of the error, a spokesperson for the Ballon d'Or explained to BBC Sport that the articles were part of the profiles prepared in advance for the nominees and that they had appeared on the internet accidentally.
The organization specified that these contents should not be interpreted as an indication of the final result or the classification of the candidates, as they are materials prepared before publicly knowing the winner.
The clarification sought to contain the confusion generated by some publications that circulated several hours before the official announcement.
The episode has also highlighted the difficulties of keeping the results of a ceremony with great international impact secret when organizations prepare various contents in advance for immediate dissemination.
A gala marked by expectation
The error occurred during the celebration of the 70th edition of the Ballon d'Or, organized by France Football and held at the Palladium Theatre in London.
Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé, and Harry Kane were among the main contenders for the men's award, in an edition that brought together some of the most outstanding footballers of the season.
The ceremony has also recognized several representatives of Spanish football, including Lamine Yamal and Vicky López, distinguished with the Kopa Trophies.
The accidental publication of the three news items does not constitute a confirmation of the winner of the Ballon d'Or, whose identity corresponds exclusively to the official announcement made during the ceremony.