The 2026 Ballon d’Or organisers have been forced to explain a major website mistake after three different players were mistakenly announced as winners before the ceremony in London.
2026 Ballon d’Or Organisers Issue Urgent Statement After Major Mistake
The organisers of the 2026 Ballon d’Or have been forced to issue an urgent statement after a major mistake on their official website caused confusion among football fans.
The incident happened on October 26, just hours before the prestigious awards ceremony began in London.
Surprisingly, the official Ballon d’Or website published several articles announcing different players as winners of the same award.
Three players mistakenly announced as Ballon d’Or winners
The controversy began when articles appeared on the official website claiming that three football superstars had won the 2026 Ballon d’Or.
The players involved were:
- Harry Kane – Bayern Munich
- Kylian Mbappe – Real Madrid
- Lamine Yamal – Barcelona
One article announced Kane as the winner and highlighted his incredible goalscoring season.
Another praised Mbappe’s outstanding performances, while a third described Yamal as the youngest Ballon d’Or winner in history.
The articles quickly spread across social media, leaving supporters confused about who had actually won the award.
However, the organisers soon removed the articles from their website.
Ballon d’Or organisers release urgent statement
Following the unexpected mistake, the organisers quickly explained what had happened.
They confirmed that the articles had been prepared in advance for several nominees and were accidentally published before the ceremony.
According to the official explanation, these articles were not evidence of the final results or rankings.
The organisers stressed that the mistake did not reveal the actual winner of the award.
The incident also affected the women’s competition, with similar articles involving Alexia Putellas and Ewa Pajor appearing online.
Harry Kane eventually wins the 2026 Ballon d’Or
Despite the confusion, the ceremony continued as planned at the London Palladium.
Harry Kane was eventually announced as the official winner of the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or.
The Bayern Munich striker finished ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal.
His victory made him the first English player to win the prestigious award since Michael Owen in 2001.
Interestingly, one of the mistakenly published articles had correctly named Kane as the winner.
However, there is no evidence that the website mistake affected the voting results.
Although the organisers quickly explained the situation, the embarrassing error became one of the biggest talking points surrounding the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony.
