Ballon d'Or scandal! Suspicious bets and a possible leak of the results
The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony has become the centre of a major betting scandal, with serious questions emerging about whether the results were leaked before the winners were announced.
Details: According to The Guardian, France Football has launched an investigation into suspicious betting activity surrounding this year's award. Twelve accounts on the cryptocurrency-based prediction platform Polymarket allegedly wagered more than $264,000 and generated almost $200,000 in profit after correctly predicting the exact top five finishers.
Remarkably, all five positions matched the official results announced at the ceremony on October 26. The suspicious accounts predicted the following ranking:
- 1. Harry Kane
- 2. Kylian Mbappé
- 3. Lamine Yamal
- 4. Rodri
- 5. Lionel Messi
The investigation by French outlet Upside revealed that the twelve accounts were created between October 1 and 20. Seven had never placed bets on other markets, while six made their first wagers within 15 minutes of registration. Their remarkably similar activity has raised suspicions that the accounts could be connected.
Upside also traced one transaction to a French financial platform, which reportedly identified the person behind one of the accounts. France Football has been informed of the findings and has alerted the police. However, no leak of confidential voting information has been proven.
It's worth noting that Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d'Or at the London Palladium on October 26, becoming the first English footballer to receive the prestigious award since Michael Owen in 2001.
Reminder: Just 28 points! Shocking details emerge about Harry Kane's Ballon d'Or victory over Mbappe
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
