Ballon d'Or 2026: here are all the mishaps that marked the 70th ceremony

On Monday evening, during the 70th Ballon d'Or ceremony, there were delays, a bug on the official website, tensions with supporters and players unable to leave. The ceremony was marked by numerous mishaps. Here is what happened!

Last night, the grand Ballon d'Or ceremony experienced a few hiccups. Although Harry Kane was crowned the 2026 Ballon d'Or winner ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal, the ceremony held at the London Palladium was disrupted by a succession of unforeseen events. The biggest blunder occurred even before the evening had begun.

Indeed, the trophy's official website mistakenly published articles announcing the English striker's victory. Content about Mbappé and Yamal was subsequently posted online, creating doubt just hours before the verdict.

Barça could have missed the start of the ceremony

According to information from RMC Sport, several players, including Ousmane Dembélé, had to wait for around an hour at their hotel before being able to make their way to the ceremony venue. The reception arrangements reportedly caused tensions, as some facilities were not yet ready when the guests arrived.

The British daily The Independent also revealed that dozens of supporters tried to cross the security barriers to get closer to the red carpet. Police had to intervene to restore calm. The start of the ceremony was ultimately delayed by around 45 minutes because of traffic jams on London's streets and access problems. The FC Barcelona delegation, which arrived late for the ceremony, was also annoyed.

Ousmane Dembélé complained

On the red carpet, a photographer crossed the DAZN set while guests were live on air. This led to a confrontation, and the photographer eventually lost his temper, telling the journalist: « stop touching me! », before a security officer intervened.

According to the British press, at around 11:40 p.m., the red carpet was still crowded, as the vehicles sent to collect the guests were unable to reach the exit of the London Palladium properly. Some players therefore waited for more than 30 minutes before being able to leave the venue.

Also read: Ballon d'Or 2026: Ousmane Dembélé's congratulatory message to Harry Kane

Annoyed by the situation, Ousmane Dembélé reportedly went to complain to the organisers before turning back and speaking, in particular, with Michael Olise. This 70th edition was therefore marked by particularly chaotic organisation.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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