France Football investigates Ballon d'Or betting scandal
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KEY TAKEAWAYS
- France Football is investigating suspicious Ballon d'Or bets worth £149,000.
- Twelve Polymarket accounts reportedly wagered more than $264,000 on the exact top-five order.
- Investigators are examining whether Harry Kane’s Ballon d'Or victory was leaked before the ceremony.
France Football has opened an investigation into suspicious wagers that reportedly generated £149,000 in winnings, raising concerns that confidential information about the results may have been leaked before the ceremony.
According to The Guardian, more than $264,000 was wagered across 12 accounts on Polymarket, an American-based cryptocurrency prediction market.
The findings were uncovered by French media outlet Upside, which identified unusual betting patterns and potential connections between the accounts.
12 Polymarket accounts correctly predicted Ballon d'Or top five
The 70th Ballon d'Or ceremony took place at London's Palladium Theatre on Monday, 26 October 2026, with Harry Kane receiving the men's award.The Bayern Munich striker finished ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal, whilst 2024 Ballon d'Or winner Rodri took fourth place. Lionel Messi completed the top five in fifth.
Remarkably, that was precisely the finishing order predicted by the accounts now under investigation.
The wagers focused on specific outcomes, including Kane winning the award, Mbappé finishing second and Messi securing fifth place, rather than simply backing the overall winner.
The accuracy of those predictions has raised questions about whether someone had access to the results before they were officially announced.
Investigation uncovers suspicious betting patterns
Raphaël Pautard, co-founder of Upside, revealed that his team identified 12 Polymarket accounts created between 1 October and 20 October.Investigators noticed several similarities in their activity, prompting suspicions that the accounts could be linked to the same individual or group.
Seven of the 12 accounts had reportedly never placed bets on any other markets. Meanwhile, six placed their first wagers within just 15 minutes of being created.
These patterns have added to concerns about the legitimacy of the betting activity.
Pautard also revealed that his team managed to trace one of the wagers to a French betting platform.
The platform subsequently identified the individual behind an account involved in funding the suspicious bets. However, their identity has not been publicly disclosed.
France Football launches investigation into possible leak
Upside passed its findings to France Football, which confirmed on Friday afternoon that an investigation had been opened.Police have also been contacted regarding the matter.
One of the biggest concerns for organisers is the possibility that confidential information was shared before the ceremony.
France Football had previously indicated that only a small number of people knew Kane had won the award ahead of the official announcement.
If someone with access to that information disclosed the result, it could have provided an unfair advantage to those placing bets on Polymarket.
However, investigators have yet to establish whether an actual leak took place or whether anyone involved in the suspicious wagers had access to confidential information.
What does the Ballon d'Or betting scandal mean?
The investigation raises wider questions about the security of confidential information surrounding major football awards and the potential for insider information to influence cryptocurrency prediction markets.The combination of unusually timed account registrations, concentrated wagers and remarkably accurate predictions has prompted France Football to examine the circumstances surrounding the bets.
The investigation is ongoing, and no wrongdoing has been established.
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