Ballon d’Or organisers release a statement after a mistake spreads online just hours before the ceremony.
A note was shared on the Ballon d’Or website after some articles about five different winners of the 2026 men’s and women’s awards were accidentally posted online.
Around 5:30pm UK time, articles for the top three men’s favourites—Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, and Kylian Mbappe—were briefly published on the official site. They stayed up for a few minutes before being taken down once the organisers noticed the mistake. Similarly, articles about Alexia Putellas, the favourite for the women’s award, and Ewa Pajor also appeared briefly before being removed.
Now, there’s an official message on the Ballon d’Or website explaining what happened. It was posted just before the ceremony started and confirmed that these posts were accidental and don’t reveal the winners or the final results.
The message says: “Portraits of some Ballon d’Or nominees prepared by ballondor.com were accidentally published online. These articles were made in advance for all nominees in case they won. They don’t, in any way, show the podium, which is still unknown to everyone.”
This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. On the day nominations were announced, profiles of women players who hadn’t been revealed yet were also accidentally posted and then quickly taken down.
Harry Kane is currently the favourite to win the men’s Ballon d’Or when the ceremony starts at 8pm UK time. Mbappe and Yamal are also strong contenders, which led some to guess the published articles might have shown the top three. It’s likely these three will be on the podium since other players like Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, and Pau Cubarsi didn’t come to London.
For the women’s award, Alexia Putellas is a big favourite after an amazing season with Barcelona, winning Spain’s top league and the Women’s Champions League. Her former teammates Patri Guijarro and Ewa Pajor are also in the running.
The ceremony begins around 8pm GMT, but the winners will be announced later. The women’s award comes first, with the men’s expected between 9:45pm and 10pm.