Ballon d’Or site posts three different winner profiles

The official Ballon d’Or website published and later removed three articles presenting Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé as winners, hours before the award ceremony in London on October 26. The posts named different players and do not establish who won the 2026 men’s award. The articles appeared on the awards website before proceedings at the London Palladium. Kane’s profile said he had won after a 61-goal season, while Yamal’s described him as the youngest winner in the award’s history. Mbappé’s article said he had claimed his first Ballon d’Or. Those claims were presented as outcomes in the posts, not confirmed results. The pages were subsequently taken down. Reports citing a journalist who alerted organisers said the publications prompted calls and WhatsApp messages. Other reports said organisers had launched an investigation, but that account was attributed to press reporting; no direct confirmation from organisers was included. The award ceremony was scheduled for October 26, with most published schedules listing an 8 p.m. GMT start. One report gave a 9 p.m. start. The winner was expected to be announced during the ceremony, but the articles themselves offered no...