London:Istanbul The official Ballon d'Or website caused a stir by publishing articles that named three different players as winners of the 2026 men's award on Monday, just hours before the ceremony set to take place in London.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, the website declared Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe, and Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal as winners in separate articles. These articles were later removed from the organizers' website.

The articles appeared approximately two and a half hours before the ceremony was scheduled to begin at the London Palladium, leading to speculation about the actual identity of the winner. One article highlighted Harry Kane's goalscoring achievements during the 2025-26 season. Another claimed that Lamine Yamal, at 19, had become the youngest winner in the award's 70-year history, while a third article praised Kylian Mbappe's consistency at the highest level.

The conflicting announcements have raised questions regarding whether the organizers inadvertently published multiple versions prepared in advance. None of the articles confirmed the actual winner, who is to be announced at Monday evening's ceremony.