Ballon d'Or site names Lamine Yamal winner, then deletes it

The post, dated October 16, 2026, took it for granted that the FC Barcelona winger had beaten his main rivals and would receive the trophy at the ceremony held this Monday in London.

A news story that effectively named Lamine Yamal the winner

The article was titled «Lamine Yamal wins the Ballon d'Or 2026 and sets an unprecedented record» and reviewed the Spanish international's sporting credentials during the 2025/26 season.

The text highlighted his 25 goals and 20 assists in 57 matches, as well as his role in the titles won with Barcelona and the Spain national team.

The publication also claimed that, at just 19 years old, Lamine Yamal became the youngest player to win the Ballon d'Or, surpassing the historic mark set by Ronaldo Nazario.

However, the article disappeared from the official website shortly after it was made public.

Mbappé and Harry Kane also appeared as winners

What stands out most is that Lamine Yamal was not the only footballer mistakenly declared the winner.

The official website also published articles announcing Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane as winners of the Ballon d'Or 2026, each accompanied by a news item that laid out their case for winning the award.

This suggests that the organization had different texts prepared to publish once the winner was officially announced, although there is no official explanation confirming how the mistake happened.

The three articles were quickly taken down, but screenshots began circulating on social media, sparking plenty of speculation about the identity of the winner.

Has the Ballon d'Or winner really been leaked?

Despite the commotion, the publication does not confirm that Lamine Yamal is the winner of the Ballon d'Or 2026.

The fact that three different news stories proclaiming different winners appeared at the same time makes it impossible to interpret the incident as a definitive leak of the result.

The mystery will be resolved during the official ceremony, which takes place this Monday, October 26, from 9:00 p.m. at the London Palladium in London.

Until then, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane continue to dominate the attention of a ceremony that, even before it begins, has already generated a major controversy.