The official Ballon d’Or website sparked widespread confusion ahead of the 2026 ceremony after publishing articles declaring three different players as the award winner, before the pages subsequently vanished.
Diario AS revealed that the incident occurred during the gradual unveiling of the nominees’ final standings, shifting supporters’ attention away from the revealed ranks toward published pages that already discussed the first-place winner.
First to appear was a page crowning Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, showcasing his standout goals in a season where he bagged 61 goals for the German club, framed in a tone suggesting the Englishman had sealed the trophy.
However, the site also published an article handing the accolade to Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, touting an unprecedented milestone by highlighting the possibility of him becoming the youngest recipient in Ballon d’Or history.
The paradox was completed with the appearance of a third page crowning Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé, celebrating his sustained elite-level performances—giving each of the primary contenders a separate article declaring him the winner.
Within minutes, the links began returning error messages; however, screenshots of the pages had already spread across social media platforms, fueling speculation over whether the incident represented a genuine leak or the premature release of pre-drafted content.
Goal suggested that the published articles were likely pre-written drafts prepared for various outcome scenarios. Nevertheless, publishing three conflicting results does not confirm the true identity of the winner, nor did the incident itself clarify why the pages were rendered publicly accessible.
The confusion arrived during a milestone edition celebrating the 70th anniversary of the award’s inception, hosted at the London Palladium, amidst fierce competition to succeed 2025 holder Ousmane Dembélé and high anticipation for the official announcement to settle the speculation.
