With the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony underway in London, football fans thought they had discovered the winner before the trophy was even presented, after the award’s official website appeared to publish an article declaring Harry Kane the champion. The excitement quickly turned into confusion when similar articles emerged for Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal, leaving supporters wondering whether the result had been leaked or the organisers had simply prepared their announcements in advance.
Harry Kane appears to have won the Ballon d’Or
The Bayern Munich striker initially appeared to have received the biggest individual prize in football after an article titled “Harry Kane wins 2026 Ballon d’Or: Here are his best and most meaningful strikes from a 61-goal season” surfaced on the official website. Screenshots spread rapidly across social media, where English supporters began celebrating the apparent confirmation of Kane’s victory.Kane entered the ceremony among the leading contenders after an extraordinary season, with reports highlighting his 73 goals for club and country, although the leaked article referenced a 61-goal season.
Mbappe and Yamal articles deepen the confusion
The apparent leak soon became less convincing when articles declaring Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal winners also appeared on the Ballon d’Or website.One headline read, “Kylian Mbappé wins 2026 Ballon d’Or for consistency personified at the very highest level,” while another declared, “Lamine Yamal wins the 2026 Ballon d’Or and sets an unprecedented record!” The pages were reportedly prepared in advance for the possibility of any of the three leading candidates being announced on stage, rather than confirming the actual result.The website subsequently removed the page, while the appearance of all three articles left fans without any reliable indication of who would receive the award.Yamal, Kane and Mbappe had emerged as the leading candidates after outstanding campaigns, with Yamal winning the World Cup with Spain and La Liga with Barcelona, Kane spearheading Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga title and England’s run to the North American World Cup semi-finals, and Mbappe becoming the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer while claiming the 2026 Golden Boot.
Ballon d’Or countdown continues in London
The ceremony is taking place at the London Palladium Theatre, with the main event scheduled to begin at 8pm GMT on Monday, October 26, corresponding to 1.30am IST on Tuesday, October 27.France Football has already begun revealing the lower positions, counting down from 30th to 11th in both the men’s and women’s rankings before the final ten are unveiled individually on stage. The countdown will continue until the leading candidates remain and the official winners are announced, meaning the website’s prematurely published articles have offered no confirmed answer.
