Harry Kane was crowned winner of the men’s Ballon d’Or on Monday night, but a few hours earlier that confirmation appeared to have been announced prematurely.
At 17:15 GMT, an article from the award’s official website titled ‘Harry Kane wins the 2026 Ballon d’Or’ began to circulate online.
The widespread sharing of the article caused confusion online, with some wondering whether France Football – the organisers of the award – had fallen short at the final hurdle of keeping the winner, who was voted for by journalists at the end of September, under wraps.
That was until further digging on the Ballon d’Or website revealed that some of the other favourites to win the award – including Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe – also had similar pieces penned and published about them.
When asked about the articles by BBC Sport, a Ballon d’Or spokesperson said: “Some profiles of nominees prepared by BallonDor.com were inadvertently published online.
“These articles had been prepared for all nominees and should in no way be considered as an indication of the final results or rankings.”
By 17:40, the articles about Kane and Mbappe had been removed from the website.
Similar articles were also written about London City Lionesses star Alexia Putellas and Barcelona’s Ewa Pajor. Putellas went on to be officially confirmed as the winner of the women’s Ballon d’Or.
That premature announcement may have sparked some excitement in Kane that this could be his year, but he only had to wait a little longer to find out for sure.
The race for the 2026 Ballon d’Or is heating up with less than 24 hours to go before the winner is announced at a glitzy ceremony in London.
A three-way contest between Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane leads the debate in the run-up to football’s most prestigious individual honour.
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Yamal, Spain’s 19-year-old prodigy, and France’s 2018 World Cup winner Mbappe have both publicly endorsed themselves for the honour, while the unstoppable Kane of England has been relatively shy in campaigning for himself.
Predictions are pouring in thick and fast as we inch closer to the award ceremony at the London Palladium.
Ballon d’Or predictions: Who has AI picked as the winner?
According to data released by Avisia, a French data analysis and artificial intelligence firm, Yamal is the favourite to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or.
The Barcelona winger is tipped to have a 23 percent probability of lifting the trophy, awarded to the best footballer of the 2025-26 season.
The data and AI consulting firm chose Kane as a close second, with a 21 per cent probability, while Mbappe ranked third at 19 percent, tied with Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner.
The top five list is rounded out by Lionel Messi given an 18 percent chance to win for a record-extending ninth time.
Avisia claims it correctly identified the top five for the 2025 Ballon d’Or, won by Ousmane Dembele.
Even though Yamal is Avisia’s top pick, it is Kane who the bookmakers see as the outright favourite, with about 70 percent probability.
Harry Kane has been in exceptional goal-scoring form for both club and country [File: AFP]
What are the predictions of players and experts?
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone thinks his compatriot Messi, who recently retired from international duty, deserves to lift the golden ball.
“After the World Cup, he played at his age… No doubt about it,” Simeone said.
Former Italy international Marco Materazzi echoed those thoughts.
“With all due respect to Yamal, I think Messi showed, at 38 years old, he’s in a different league,” he added.
Lionel Messi guided Argentina to the 2026 World Cup final four years after winning in Qatar [File: AFP]
Jude Bellingham, also shortlisted for the Ballon d’Or, backed England captain Kane and his attacking partner at the 2026 World Cup.
“He works so hard for it, and he’s a very honest and hard-working person,” Bellingham said. When asked if Kane could win, he added, “It’s definitely possible”.
Fellow England international Anthony Gordon sided with his Barcelona teammate Yamal.
“What Lamine has achieved at such a young age… the kind of player he is, is ridiculous. He’s on a whole other level,” said Gordon.
Mbappe, on the other hand, has the backing of his Real Madrid teammate Aurelien Tchouameni, who said the Frenchman had “an incredible season”.
Kylian Mbappe was La Liga and the Champions League’s top scorer in 2025-26 [File: Angel Martinez – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images]
Yamal, Kane or Mbappe: Who will win the Ballon d’Or?
Looking purely at individual statistics, Mbappe leads the race as La Liga’s top scorer with 25 goals and the Champions League’s leading marksman with 15.
Those staggering statistics make him a strong contender alongside Kane, who scored an incredible 73 goals last season – the most by any player since Messi netted 82 in 2011-12.
But Mbappe failed to win a trophy with either club or country, while Kane won the Bundesliga with Bayern but guided England only to a third-place finish. The lack of major titles weakens their case.
Recent history suggests that winning a title in one of the major tournaments has become almost a prerequisite.
Only four of the previous 19 Ballon d’Or winners failed to lift any of the Champions League, World Cup, European Championship or Copa America during the year they were honoured.
That bodes well for Yamal, who is bidding to become the youngest winner, hoping to surpass Brazilian Ronaldo, who was 21 when he won in 1997.
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal won two major trophies last season [File: Jorge Guerrero/AFP]
Who: Paris Saint-Germain vs Barcelona What: UEFA Champions League, match day 3 Where: Parc des Princes, Paris, France When: Tuesday, October 20, at 9pm (19:00 GMT) How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport will bring you all the build-up and live updates from 16:00 GMT.
One of the most eagerly awaited Champions League matches of the season will be played against the backdrop of turmoil on the streets of the French capital as holders Paris Saint-Germain host Barcelona on Tuesday.
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The fate of the match has been subject to debate as the French government seeks to control the violent protests gripping the country.
However, once the match gets under way at the Parc des Princes, fans can expect a mouthwatering battle between the Champions League’s top two teams as the back-to-back holders welcome five-time winners.
Boasting a perfect record across all competitions, Spanish giants Barca are arguably one of Europe’s best teams this season.
PSG too have been nothing short of lethal – the Parisians lead the UCL points table and have scored a whopping 10 goals in two games.
There will be plenty of star power on display when the match kicks off as the dazzling duo of Ferran Torres and Ousmane Dembele will headline the star-studded home side.
Lamine Yamal, who is enjoying one of the best starts to a La Liga season for a forward, will be joined by Raphinha for Barcelona.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of PSG vs Barcelona:
How have PSG played this season?
After seven matches, PSG are second in Ligue 1 with 14 points, behind Lyon on goal difference. They have won four times, drawn twice and lost once in the French top division.
How have Barcelona played this season?
Barcelona are five points clear at the top of La Liga table with nine wins from nine. Their blistering attack has scored 39 league goals.
What happened in the first and second Champions League rounds?
Two-time holders PSG thrashed Slovan Bratislava 6-1 in their UCL opener at home before beating Manchester City 4-2 in a thrilling away fixture.
Barcelona thumped Feyenoord 5-1 at home and bounced back from a goal down to smash Galatasaray 4-1 away.
Those results keep PSG top of the table and Barcelona second, with both on six points.
Barcelona’s Spanish #10 Lamine Yamal has made an impressive start to the season [File: Jorge Guerrero/AFP]
Will PSG vs Barcelona go ahead amid the protests in France?
Despite the violent protests and nationwide arrests, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said the match will not be postponed or cancelled.
Lecornu said on Monday that he had asked regional authorities to impose “partial” and “localised” curfews in some cities to protect businesses after weekend demonstrations spilled over into some of the worst street violence in recent years.
“These curfews must be local and partial. It is out of the question to put all of Paris under curfew.”
At the same news conference, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told reporters there were no plans to cancel the match.
Police have arrested at least 2,400 people across France after violent groups clashed with officers and looted shops during nationwide demonstrations that attracted hundreds of thousands of people to denounce rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.
PSG vs Barcelona: Predictions
Opta’s supercomputer has given PSG a 39.7 per cent probability of winning, while Barcelona have a 37.7 per cent chance.
There are 22.6 per cent odds for a draw.
PSG vs Barcelona: Head-to-head
(Only in the Champions League)
Matches: 15
PSG wins: 6
Barcelona wins: 5
Draws: 4
PSG vs Barcelona: Form guide
(Last five matches across all competitions; latest game first)
PSG: W-W-W-W-W
Barcelona: W-W-W-W-W
Who are the top players to watch?
Ferran Torres and Ousmane Dembele (PSG): Torres, who joined PSG after four seasons at Barcelona, is their leading scorer with seven goals in all competitions, including an opening day Champions League hat-trick. Dembele has had an all-round impact with six assists and four goals.
Raphinha and Lamine Yamal(Barcelona): With 14 goals, Raphinha is the most prolific striker in European club football this season. Such is his dominance that even a brief injury absence did not take away his top spot. Yamal, on the other hand, has been unstoppable in his own way – the 18-year-old winger’s nine goals and 10 assists make him a once-in-a-generation talent.
Lamine Yamal and Raphinha share 23 goals between them this season [File: Jorge Guerrero/AFP]
Team news and predicted lineups
PSG
PSG suffered a major blow shortly before Tuesday’s trip when left-back Nuno Mendes suffered a thigh injury during their 3-1 Ligue 1 victory at Strasbourg on Saturday.
Mendes will be unavailable for the “next few weeks”, according to the team who are also without Senny Mayulu with a similar issue.
Ferran Torres, who also helped Spain win the FIFA World Cup 2026, celebrates scoring a hat-trick against Slovan Bratislava [File: Franco Arland/Getty Images]
Barcelona
Barcelona have been strengthened by the return of striker Raphinha and midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
Raphinha picked up a knock on recent international duty with Brazil and missed Barca’s wins over Getafe in the league and Galatasaray in the Champions League. Dutch international De Jong has not featured this season due to a knee issue sustained during the World Cup.
Both were on the bench in Barca’s last game, a 5-2 win over Real Betis, with Raphinha coming on as a second-half substitute.
However, defenders Eric Garcia and Jules Kounde are sidelined. Garcia will spend between “three to four weeks” out with a thigh injury, while right-back Kounde suffered an ankle sprain and will miss the game against PSG.
Predicted starting XI:
Joan Garcia; Xavi Espart, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Joao Cancelo; Fermin Lopez, Rodri, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Anthony Gordon
