Kane prematurely announced as Ballon d'Or winner

What the report says

The Ballon d’Or website briefly caused confusion on Monday after an article titled “Harry Kane wins the 2026 Ballon d’Or” appeared online several hours before the award ceremony was due to begin in London, according to Nile Post. The post spread quickly and led some readers to wonder whether the organisers had accidentally revealed the result early.

Nile Post reported that the same website also appeared to have prepared similar winner articles for other leading contenders, including Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi of Inter Miami. The site also carried comparable pieces linked to women’s award favourites Alexia Putellas and Ewa Pajor. It was not clear from the report whether Kane’s article was published in error or whether the later postings were meant to correct the situation.

The Kane and Mbappe pages were removed shortly after they appeared, adding to the online speculation. The episode matters because the Ballon d’Or is one of football’s most watched individual prizes, voted on by journalists and usually kept confidential until the live announcement. Kane, who would be the first English winner since 2001 if confirmed, still had to wait for the official ceremony for an outcome to be made public.