Kane prematurely announced as Ballon d'Or winner - but he wasn't only one

What the report says

BBC Sport Football reported that Harry Kane was briefly and incorrectly presented online as the 2026 Ballon d'Or winner before the award ceremony in London. Around 17:15 GMT on Monday, an article on the Ballon d'Or’s official website carrying Kane’s name began circulating, even though the winner was not due to be announced for several more hours at the Palladium Theatre.

The confusion spread quickly because the post appeared to come from France Football, the organisers of the prize, which is voted on by journalists. BBC Sport said that more than one candidate had seemingly been affected: similar articles were also available for other leading men’s contenders, including Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi. The outlet noted that it was not clear whether Kane’s article had been published in error or whether the later posts were an attempt to respond to the mistake.

BBC Sport added that the Kane and Mbappe pieces were removed before 17:40 BST. Comparable articles were also reported for women’s nominees Alexia Putellas and Ewa Pajor, whose award was due to be decided on the same night. The episode mattered because the Ballon d'Or is football’s most prominent individual honour, and the premature publication created uncertainty ahead of the official announcement.