The official Ballon d'Or website inadvertently published pre-prepared winner articles for several nominees on Monday, causing widespread confusion hours before the actual announcement.
At 17:15 GMT, an article titled "Harry Kane wins the 2026 Ballon d'Or" appeared on the site and circulated online. Similar pieces for other leading contenders — including Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé, and women's nominees Alexia Putellas and Ewa Pajor — were also found published.
A Ballon d'Or spokesperson told BBC Sport that the profiles had been prepared for all nominees and were inadvertently published, stressing they were not indicative of final results. The articles for Kane and Mbappé were removed by 17:40.
Kane was later confirmed as the men's winner, becoming the first Englishman to claim the award since 2001. Putellas secured a record-equalling third women's Ballon d'Or.
