Ballon d’Or 2026: France Football contacts police after suspicious Polymarket bets

12 accounts wagered a total of $264,000 on the final Ballon d’Or 2026 ranking before Harry Kane’s triumph. They reportedly made nearly $200,000 in profits. Amid suspicions of a possible leak of the results, France Football has opened an investigation and contacted the French police.

The Ballon d’Or 2026 is now at the centre of a suspicious betting case. According to an investigation published by The Guardian on October 30, France Football launched an inquiry after the discovery of particularly accurate bets on Polymarket, a platform specialising in cryptocurrency prediction markets.

In total, 12 accounts wagered around $264,000 on various bets linked to the individual award’s ranking. Their scenario matched the official result: Harry Kane in first place, ahead of Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Rodri and Lionel Messi. These operations reportedly generated nearly $200,000 in profits.

Behaviour that raises questions

The initial investigation, conducted by French media outlet Upside, highlighted several unusual elements in the activity of these accounts.

Seven of the 12 accounts had never participated in any other betting markets on the platform. Six had placed their first bet within 15 minutes of being created. The accounts were opened between October 1 and 20, with transactions concentrated around the Ballon d’Or.

Analysis of financial movements on the blockchain also made it possible to trace part of the origin of the funds. Upside investigators notably identified a transaction routed through Deblock, a French financial platform that could enable authorities to trace one of the bettors’ identities.

French police alerted

Following these revelations, Upside sent its findings to France Football. According to The Guardian, the organisation confirmed that it had opened an investigation and contacted the French police so that the facts could be examined.

The central question is now whether some bettors had access to confidential information before the ceremony held on October 26 in London.

France Football had nevertheless indicated that the identity of the future winner was known to a very limited circle of people before the official announcement.

Read also: Real Madrid: Yan Diomandé linked to a surprising Ballon d’Or clause

A leak not yet proven

The accuracy of the bets and the financial movements observed are fuelling suspicions, but do not yet constitute proof of a leak of the voting results.

Upside’s investigation also provides one clarification: among the 12 accounts identified, only one had directly bet on the five exact positions in the ranking. The others had wagered on different combinations corresponding to the final results.

For now, the identities of the people behind these accounts and the source of any privileged information remain unknown. The investigation will have to determine whether these bets were based on a genuine leak or on particularly well-informed anticipation.

Nouya M'toama

Editorfr, en

Versatile journalist specializing in sports and political news, with extensive experience across radio, print and digital media platforms.

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