The Ballon d’Or were forced to issue a statement after accidentally posting several articles on their official site, all announcing different winners ahead of Monday’s ceremony.
Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe had articles published about them winning the coveted award, with all three articles later deleted.
A subsequent statement from a Ballon d’Or spokesman said: “Portraits of some Ballon d’Or nominees made by Ballondor.com were inadvertently posted online.
“These articles were prepared in advance for all nominees in the event of victory. They do not in any way reveal the podium, which is still unknown to everyone at this time.”
The Ballon d’Or ceremony, held in London, has now been postponed to 20:30 GMT, which is not known to be a result of errors in the article.
Ballon d’Or’: Kane prematurely named winner
An article naming Harry Kane as the 2026 Ballon d’Or winner began circulating online shortly after 17:15 GMT on Monday, more than four hours before the ceremony was due to begin at London’s Palladium Theatre.
The piece, published on the award’s official website, sparked confusion over whether organizers France Football had accidentally revealed the winner after journalists voted at the end of September.
However, further investigation revealed that similar articles had also been published for other top contenders, including Barcelona’s Yamal and Real Madrid’s Mbappé.
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Where to watch Ballon d’Or 2026: TV channel, live streaming online
In most territories, you can watch the 2026 Ballon d’Or awards ceremony for free on DAZN.
Viewers without an existing DAZN account should do so create a free subscription using your email address.
For other territories, visit List of UEFA Ballon d’Or broadcasts.