Ballon d’Or chaos as Kane, Mbappé and Yamal listed as winners before London ceremony
The Ballon d’Or website descended into chaos on 26 October 2026 when it listed England captain Harry Kane, France’s Kylian Mbappé and Spain‑born Lamine Yamal ALL as winners just hours before the ceremony began at the London Palladium. The trio, each a leading candidate for football’s top individual prize, were simultaneously featured in separate articles on the official site.
Website error sparks frantic scramble
Sport alerted the organisers to the mistake, prompting a flurry of phone calls and WhatsApp messages as staff tried to contain the fallout. Organisers subsequently launched an investigation into how three distinct winner announcements could appear on the same platform.
Articles proclaiming Kane and Mbappé as winners were quickly removed, while the piece naming Yamal remained online for a short period before the error was fully addressed.
Three rival winner announcements
Harry Kane’s article carried the headline “Harry Kane wins 2026 Ballon d’Or: Here are his best and most meaningful strikes from a 61‑goal season” and praised his role in Bayern Munich’s domestic treble and his rapid reach of a hundred goals for the German side. The story quoted the site’s analysis: “A record‑breaking welter of league and cup goals in 2025/26 has propelled Harry Kane to Ballon d’Or success.”
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Lamine Yamal’s piece declared him the “new king of football”, noting that at just 19 years of age he became the youngest Ballon d’Or winner since the award’s inception in 1956. It added, “Not even Lionel Messi won it at that age; the previous youngest record belonged to Ronaldo Nazário at 21 years and 92 days.”
Kylian Mbappé’s announcement lauded “consistency personified at the very highest level”. The article highlighted a “record‑breaking World Cup and another welter of goals for Real Madrid” as the basis for his first Ballon d’Or triumph, stating, “We celebrate the French star’s consistency, not just last season, but every season since first emerging as a true phenomenon.”
London Palladium ceremony set for late night
The gala’s red‑carpet begins at 19:30, with the ceremony itself slated to start at 21:00 in the London Palladium. Presenters Kate Scott and Thierry Henry will guide the evening, with the women’s Ballon d’Or expected around 22:38 and the men’s around 22:47.
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Most of the 30 nominees travelled to London, except the PSG players who were playing Olympique Lyonnais at the Parc des Princes at 20:30 on the same night. France Football now runs the award in partnership with UEFA, having moved the event from Paris to London to honour the first winner, Stanley Matthews.