World Soccer.—The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony had an unexpected moment even before the winner was officially announced. Harry Kane's name began circulating as the alleged winner of the men's award after a post appeared on the award's official website, hours before the confirmation.
The article, titled “Harry Kane wins the 2026 Ballon d’Or,” began circulating around 5:15 p.m. GMT. The news caused confusion among fans, who wondered if the organization had made a mistake by prematurely revealing the result of a vote that had taken place in late September among journalists.
The surprise was short-lived. A closer look at the website revealed similar posts dedicated to other candidates, including Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé. This changed the interpretation of the incident and cast doubt on whether the article was a genuine leak of the result.
The organization explains what happened
In response to the doubts raised on social media, a spokesperson for the Ballon d’Or explained to BBC Sport that several profiles of the nominees had been accidentally published online.
According to the explanation, the texts had been prepared in advance for all candidates and should not be interpreted as an indication of the final result or the ranking order.
The clarification sought to curb the speculation that had begun to spread among soccer fans, especially since the article about Kane seemed to directly announce his victory.
By around 5:40 p.m. GMT, the posts about Kane and Mbappé had already been removed from the official website. However, by then, screenshots and links had begun circulating, and the incident had already sparked discussion among fans.
There were also posts related to the Women’s Ballon d’Or
The issue wasn’t limited to the male nominees. Drafted posts were also found regarding Alexia Putellas, a star for the London City Lionesses, and Ewa Pajor of Barcelona.
In the women’s category, Putellas was ultimately officially confirmed as the Ballon d’Or winner. This added another layer to the discussion, although the organization insisted that the early publication of the profiles should not be taken as confirmation of the results.
Harry Kane Had to Wait for the Official Announcement
The incident may have fueled Harry Kane’s anticipation regarding the possibility of winning one of soccer’s most prestigious individual awards. However, the forward had to wait for the formal announcement to learn the outcome.
The situation taught the organization a lesson: even content prepared in advance can become a source of rumors when it appears prematurely. At a ceremony watched around the world, it took just a few minutes for an accidental post to become one of the most talked-about topics of the day.
In the end, Kane’s name was already on everyone’s lips before the wait for the official verdict was over.
