2026 Ballon d’Or: Organisers Accidentally Announce Winners Hours Before Award Ceremony
- The official Ballon d'Or website published three separate articles naming Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and Lamine Yamal as winners hours before the London ceremony
- Daily Mail Sport spotted the error at 5.23pm and alerted organisers, setting off frantic phone calls and WhatsApp messages among shocked staff
- One article naming Yamal as winner remained live for over 30 minutes after organisers were told about the blunder
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The organisers of the 2026 Ballon d'Or were plunged into chaos on Monday when their official website accidentally published three separate articles declaring Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and Lamine Yamal as winners of the award, hours before the ceremony got underway at the London Palladium.
The blunder was spotted by Daily Mail Sport, which alerted organisers at 5.23pm.
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The warning set off a wave of emergency phone calls and WhatsApp messages as staff scrambled to contain the damage.
Three winners announced on Ballon d'Or website
Each of the three articles was written as though the respective player had already lifted football's most prestigious individual trophy.
According to the Daily Mail, Kane's piece carried the headline "Harry Kane wins 2026 Ballon d'Or: Here are his best and most meaningful strikes from a 61-goal season," and described his role in helping Bayern Munich win a domestic Treble while reaching a century of goals for the German club in record time.
The article on Yamal declared the 19-year-old Barcelona and Spain winger the "new king of football" and described him as the youngest winner in the award's history, which dates back to 1956.
It noted that even Lionel Messi had not won the prize at that age, with the Argentine claiming his first Ballon d'Or in 2009 at 22 years and 160 days old.
The previous record for youngest winner had belonged to Ronaldo Nazário, who received the honour at 21 years and 92 days.
The piece on Mbappe praised the Real Madrid forward as "consistency personified at the very highest level," describing his achievement as the product of a record-breaking World Cup and a prolific season for his club.
Organisers launch investigation into blunder
Following the alert, articles naming Kane and Mbappe as winners were pulled from the website. However, the piece identifying Yamal as champion was still visible more than 30 minutes after organisers had been informed of the mistake.
The Ballon d'Or's organisers have since launched an investigation into how the pre-written content was published ahead of schedule.
The articles appear to have been prepared in advance for each leading candidate, with one intended for publication only after the official announcement at the ceremony.
What is at stake for the 3 players
All three players arrived at the London Palladium as genuine contenders for the award.
Kane is chasing a historic distinction, as no English player has won the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen claimed it in 2001.
For Mbappe and Yamal, it would be a first career win, with their best previous finishes recorded at third and second place respectively.
Streaming platforms to watch 2026 Ballon d'Or awards
Legit.ng previously reported about the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony, including its new London venue, leading contenders and free ways to watch live.
The event leaves Paris for the first time in its history, with organisers choosing London to honour Stanley Matthews, the award’s inaugural winner. Who will take home football’s biggest individual prize?
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