The Ballon d'Or winners were mistakenly published hours before the official men's award ceremony, according to reports from the Associated Press.
The ceremony took place on Monday, October 26, 2026, at the London Palladium Theatre in London, England. Attendees included Spain's Lamine Yamal, who was greeted by FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta, as well as England's Harry Kane and France's Kylian Mbappé.
The premature release of the winners' names came ahead of the scheduled announcement, though details of the error were not immediately disclosed.
