Ballon d’Or 2026: Official website sparks confusion with three apparent winner announcements

The Ballon d’Or’s official website appeared to announce three different winners in the hours before the 2026 award ceremony, triggering confusion over whether Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal or Kylian Mbappe had been named the recipient.

Separate articles published on the website appeared to declare victory for each of the three candidates. Kane is listed as an England international and Bayern Munich player, while Yamal represents Spain and Barcelona. Mbappe is identified as a France international and Real Madrid forward.

The headline of the article relating to Mbappe read: “Kylian Mbappe wins the 2026 Ballon d’Or thanks to his consistency at the highest level.”

Yamal and Kane were also each given their own article on the official platform. The publication of all three pieces suggested that organisers had prepared separate versions in advance, ready to release the correct article once the identity of the winner was confirmed.

However, it appeared that the three articles were published accidentally before the official announcement. The apparent error immediately led to debate about which of the three candidates would ultimately receive the 2026 Ballon d’Or.