Ballon d'Or website briefly publishes articles naming Kane and other favourites as winners
The Ballon d'Or's official website briefly carried an article saying Harry Kane had won the 2026 award, along with similar pieces on other favourites, hours before the ceremony.
An article titled "Harry Kane wins the 2026 Ballon d'Or" appeared on the award's official website shortly after 17:15 GMT on Monday and spread quickly online, more than four and a half hours before the winner was due to be announced at the Palladium Theatre in London. The premature posting left some observers questioning whether France Football, which organises the award, had failed to keep the result under wraps.
Further inspection of the site showed Kane was not the only player to have a winner's article prepared. Similar pieces had been written and published about other leading contenders, including Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe and Inter Miami's Lionel Messi. The articles about Kane and Mbappe were removed just before 17:40.
The same pattern applied to the women's award, which was also being presented on Monday night. Comparable articles were written about London City Lionesses' Alexia Putellas and Barcelona's Ewa Pajor, both among the favourites for that prize.
It is unclear whether the articles were published by mistake and whether their removal was intentional or part of an effort to limit the damage. The episode caused confusion online, with supporters speculating about what the postings meant for the outcome; such reaction is opinion rather than confirmed fact, as the winner was still to be revealed.
The winner is chosen by journalists, with voting completed at the end of September. If Kane is to realise his ambition of becoming the first Englishman to win the award since 2001, he will have to wait a little longer for the official announcement.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
