Kane prematurely announced as Ballon d'Or winner - but he wasn't only one

Harry Kane has been named as the winner of the 2026 men's Ballon d'Or, marking the first time an English player has claimed the prestigious award since 2001. However, an article published on the award's official website at 17:15 GMT, stating "Harry Kane wins the 2026 Ballon d'Or," circulated online, leading to confusion about whether the winner had been revealed prematurely.

The widespread sharing of the article raised questions about whether France Football, the organizers of the award, had made a mistake in unveiling the winner too soon.

It wasn't until further investigation on the Ballon d'Or website that it became clear that other contenders such as Barcelona's Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe had also had similar articles published. A spokesperson for the Ballon d'Or clarified that some profiles of nominees, prepared for publication, had inadvertently been posted online. These articles were not meant to suggest any particular result or ranking, but rather were drafts prepared for all nominees.

Shortly after the confusion was clarified, the articles about Kane and Mbappe were taken down from the website. The premature announcement may have given Kane a sense of optimism, but he had to wait until the official results were announced to confirm his victory. Kane finally broke England's 25-year wait for a Ballon d'Or winner, ending the longstanding trend without a domestic player claiming the award.