France Football magazine, which owns the Ballon d'Or, has opened an official investigation after the emergence of controversial bets that made profits of around $200,000 by predicting the correct ranking of the top five places in the 2026 edition of the prize, according to The Parisian. The suspicions came after the reverse economic analysis platform tracked 12 specially created accounts on the Polymarket betting platform, funneling around $264,000 into the final prize ranking before the results were officially announced. These accounts were able to accurately predict the top five, which included Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Lamin Yamal, Rodri and Lionel Messi, raising questions about the possibility of the results being leaked before the ceremony. The Amaury Group, which owns France Football magazine, has confirmed that it is taking legal action to investigate the allegations, stressing that the integrity of the award is "absolute priority".

France Football magazine, which owns the Ballon d'Or, has opened an official investigation after the emergence of controversial bets that made profits of around $200,000 by predicting the correct ranking of the top five places in the 2026 edition of the prize, according to The Parisian. The suspicions came after the reverse economic analysis platform tracked 12 specially created accounts on the Polymarket betting platform, funneling around $264,000 into the final prize ranking before the results were officially announced. These accounts were able to accurately predict the top five, which included Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Lamin Yamal, Rodri and Lionel Messi, raising questions about the possibility of the results being leaked before the ceremony. The Amaury Group, which owns France Football magazine, has confirmed that it is taking legal action to investigate the allegations, stressing that the integrity of the award is "absolute priority".