Ahead of Monday evening's Ballon d'Or ceremony, articles on the organisers' website named Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé as the winner.
The presentation of the prestigious award begins at around 9pm on Monday at The London Palladium. Organisers have already begun revealing the names of players who have missed out, starting with the player in 30th place.
Around two and a half hours before the ceremony was due to begin, three articles naming different Ballon d'Or winners appeared on the website.
One named Kane as the winner and rounded up his best goals from last season. A second named Yamal, which would make him the youngest winner ever. Another presented Mbappé as the winner, praising his consistency in recent years in particular.
Several international media outlets suspect the organisers accidentally published draft articles, describing 'chaos' and 'panic' among the organisers. The mistake may have revealed which three players make up the top three. The articles swiftly disappeared from the site.
But that theory raises questions: voting for the Ballon d'Or closed on 28 September, so the organisers should have known the winner for some time.
An international jury of specialist journalists decides the Ballon d'Or winner. They assess players on their individual performances, team performances and fair play, among other criteria.