The organizers of the 2026 Ballon d’Or have released an official statement explaining that any claims that the podium for the men’s award has been hurriedly unveiled are premature.

In the hours before Monday’s announcement, the official Ballon d’Or website published three separate pre-written articles hailing Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane each as the winner of the award.

Mbappé was hailed for being “consistency personified at the very highest level,” Kane’s goals were lauded while Yamal was dubbed “the new king of football.” All three articles were promptly taken down and an explanation was hurriedly sandwiched into the ceremony’s official live blog .

“Portraits of some Ballon d’Or nominees prepared by Ballondor.com were inadvertently published online,” a statement read. “These articles had been prepared in advance for all nominees in the event of a win.…