Following the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony at the London Palladium, France Football and French police launched an investigation into suspicious cryptocurrency wagers. Twelve Polymarket accounts correctly predicted the exact top-five ranking, generating nearly $200,000 in profits and raising serious concerns over potential confidential information leaks.
The annual football gala awarded the prestigious trophy to Harry Kane in a tightly contested vote at the London Palladium. The Bayern Munich striker captured the honor with 1,055 points, edging Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé by a margin of just 28 points, as official point totals confirmed. Lamine Yamal secured the third position on the podium with 881 points, followed by Rodri in fourth and Lionel Messi rounding out the top five.
🚨 France Football has launched an investigation into suspicious betting activity surrounding the 2026 Ballon d'Or, amid concerns that the results may have been leaked before the ceremony.Twelve betting accounts allegedly wagered more than $264,000 and made almost $200,000 in… pic.twitter.com/DjDxRzlpq4
Yet the celebration quickly gave way to scrutiny. Prior to the opening envelope, total wagers placed on the prediction markets surpassed $264,000 across twelve distinct accounts on Polymarket, a crypto-based prediction platform. Rather than spreading bets across various probable outcomes, these accounts converged exclusively on a single scenario: Kane claiming victory, Mbappé taking second, Yamal third, Rodri fourth, and Messi fifth.
Investigation Into Upside Findings and Polymarket Accounts
The unusual wagering patterns first came to light through an investigation led by the French publication Upside. Raphaël Paultard, cofounder of Upside, reported that his team identified twelve Polymarket accounts created in a narrow window between October 1 and October 20. Seven of those accounts had never participated in any other prediction market, while six placed their initial wagers just 15 minutes after registration.
Investigators traced blockchain transactions from the crypto-based platform back to a French intermediary service. According to data shared with digital wallet analysts, the platform confirmed the identity of the person behind at least one funding source, though authorities have withheld that individual’s name from the public. One tracked user purchased contracts predicting Kane’s victory at 37 cents before reselling them when the price climbed to 67 cents, subsequently rolling those funds into specific position bets on Yamal.
Groupe Amaury Files Complaint over Betting Patterns
Groupe Amaury, the parent company of both L’Equipe and France Football, formally filed a legal complaint following the disclosure of the betting patterns. Organizers stressed that the trophy relies on a voting process involving 100 journalists representing different countries.
The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious trophy in world football. The integrity of the Ballon d’Or is an absolute priority. We want to remind you that the trophy is awarded to the winner following an independent vote. We treat accusations regarding the leakage of results and potential fraudulent betting with the utmost seriousness.
France Football officials maintained that only a very restricted circle of individuals possessed the final results prior to the ceremony. In the wake of the leaks, observers recalled recent remarks from former editor-in-chief Pascal Ferré regarding the difficulty of maintaining discretion.
How do we keep the winner’s identity secret? I believe a well-kept secret is one that is shared with as few people as possible.
Pascal Ferré, former editor-in-chief of France Football
Final 2026 Ballon d’Or Standings and Points Breakdown
The exact point totals released by organizers show how narrow the margins were at the top of the ballot, contrasting sharply with the lopsided confidence displayed by the suspicious crypto accounts.
| Rank | Player | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harry Kane | Bayern Munich | 1,055 |
| 2 | Kylian Mbappé | Real Madrid | 1,027 |
| 3 | Lamine Yamal | Barcelona | 881 |
| 4 | Rodri | Barcelona | 726 |
| 5 | Lionel Messi | Inter Miami | 612 |
| 6 | Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | Paris Saint-Germain | 541 |
| 7 | Ousmane Dembélé | Paris Saint-Germain | 418 |
| 8 | Erling Haaland | Manchester City | 378 |
| 9 | Michael Olise | Bayern Munich | 296 |
| 10 | Fabián Ruiz | Paris Saint-Germain | 201 |
While France Football and French law enforcement continue to examine the transaction trails, authorities have yet to determine whether the accuracy of the wagers stemmed from an illicit advance disclosure or from independent predictive modeling.