Ballon d'Or Ceremony Plunged into Chaos by Website Error Naming Three Winners

The Ballon d'Or ceremony was thrown into disarray on October 26, 2026, when the event's official website erroneously published three separate articles declaring Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and Lamine Yamal as winners. The premature announcements occurred just hours before the prestigious awards event was scheduled to begin in London.

All three players were considered frontrunners for the coveted individual prize. The website glitch caused significant confusion among organizers, who were reportedly alerted by media outlets and have since launched an investigation into the incident.

One of the published articles declared Harry Kane the winner with the headline, "Harry Kane wins 2026 Ballon d’Or: Here are his best and most meaningful strikes from a 61-goal season." The article detailed Kane's prolific year with Bayern Munich, highlighting his role in a domestic treble and his rapid ascent to a century of goals for the German club.

Another article announced Lamine Yamal as the victor, labeling him the "new king of football" and noting his achievement as the youngest-ever recipient of the award. The report stated that at 19 years old, Yamal had surpassed previous record holders, including Lionel Messi and Ronaldo Nazário, in winning the Ballon d'Or at such a young age. It acknowledged his record-breaking goal tally for Barcelona and the Spanish national team in the 2025-2026 season.

The third erroneous article named Kylian Mbappe as the winner, celebrating his "consistency personified at the very highest level." It attributed his triumph to a record-breaking World Cup performance and a consistent stream of goals for Real Madrid, reinforcing his status as a long-standing football phenomenon.