Ballon d’Or: Who awards it and how the winner is chosen

The Ballon d’Or raises the same question among fans every year: who was really the best player of the season? The award is presented by France Football, and the winner is chosen by an international jury of sports journalists. Goals and trophies matter, but the jury also considers a player’s overall contribution, decisive performances and fair play. If you follow football and sports betting, you probably have your own favourites. Read on to find out who votes for the Ballon d’Or, how points are calculated and what can decide the winner.

What is the Ballon d’Or and who awards it

The Ballon d’Or is France Football magazine’s annual award for the best male and female footballer in the world. The winners are chosen by an international jury of specialist journalists based on performances over a set period.

Today, players are eligible regardless of nationality or the club and league they play in. This means a footballer doesn’t have to play for a European club to be nominated or win the Ballon d’Or. France Football runs the selection and voting, while the ceremony has been organised in partnership with UEFA since 2024. UEFA’s role in the organisation therefore doesn’t mean the award is limited to European football.

The award goes to an individual, but alongside individual performance, the selection also takes team results and trophies into account.

How the Ballon d’Or winner is chosen

The process starts with a shortlist of 30 nominees in the men’s category and 30 in the women’s. Under the rules for 2026, the shortlist is drawn up by France Football’s editorial team, members of L’Équipe’s editorial team, at least one jury member from the previous edition and UEFA ambassadors. For the men’s award, these are Luis Figo and Fabio Capello, and for the women’s, Nadine Kessler.

Who gets to vote

For the men’s Ballon d’Or, one specialist journalist votes from each of the top 100 countries in the FIFA World Ranking. For the women’s award, the jury is made up of one journalist from each of the top 50 countries.

Each jury member picks ten names from the nominees and ranks them from first to tenth. Fans don’t take part in a public vote, and national team captains and coaches don’t vote either, as they do for FIFA’s The Best award.

How points are calculated

Each position on the ballot is worth a set number of points:

-1st place – 15 points

-2nd place – 12 points

-3rd place – 10 points

-4th place – 8 points

-5th place – 7 points

-6th place – 5 points

-7th place – 4 points

-8th place – 3 points

-9th place – 2 points

-10th place – 1 point

The player with the highest total wins. If the totals are level, the player with more first-place votes goes ahead. If they are still tied, second-place votes are compared, then third-place votes, and so on.

What matters most for the Ballon d’Or

Under the rules for 2026, three criteria are assessed in this order:

1. Individual performance – especially decisive and outstanding displays.
2. Team performance – team results and trophies won.
3. Class and fair play – conduct and sporting attitude towards the game.

That’s why the number of goals alone can’t decide the outcome. A striker’s contribution is easier to show through goals and assists, while a midfielder’s quality may show in building attacks, controlling the tempo or work off the ball. The rules don’t set out a formula that turns every assist, trophy or key moment into a fixed number of points.

Success in the Champions League can strengthen a candidacy, but the player’s role in that result also matters. Players from the Champions League winners don’t automatically get an advantage: the jury looks at individual performance first.

The same applies to national teams. Success at a major tournament can strengthen a candidacy, but the jury also considers how much a particular player contributed to that result. A medal alone doesn’t say the same thing about every member of the winning team’s season.

Does it count by season or calendar year

Since the 2022 reform, the Ballon d’Or has been judged on the season rather than the calendar year. For each edition, the organiser sets the exact period that counts towards the selection.

For the 2026 award, the reference period runs from 3 August 2025 to 19 July 2026. It includes international competitions held in that period, including the 2026 World Cup. Performances after 19 July, including the start of the 2026/27 season, don’t count towards the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or.

How a European award became a global one

The Ballon d’Or wasn’t always open to all footballers. When France Football launched the award in 1956, only European players were eligible. The first winner was Stanley Matthews, who was playing for Blackpool at the time.

The rules were first significantly expanded in 1995. From then on, players of all nationalities were eligible, provided they played for a European club. That same year, Liberia’s George Weah became the first non-European winner.

The last major restriction was removed in 2007, when the award was opened up to players from clubs around the world. With that, the Ballon d’Or grew from a European honour into a global individual award.

This change also matters when comparing different footballing eras. For most of their careers, Pelé and Diego Maradona didn’t meet the eligibility rules of the time for the regular annual award, so their absence from the list of winners says nothing about their importance to football.

Although where a player plays is no longer a requirement, Europe’s top leagues still produce many of the candidates because so many of the world’s leading players compete there.

Who has won the most Ballon d’Or awards

Lionel Messi holds the record with eight Ballon d’Or awards, Cristiano Ronaldo has five, while Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten have three each.

• Lionel Messi – 8: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023
• Cristiano Ronaldo – 5: 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017
• Johan Cruyff – 3: 1971, 1973 and 1974
• Michel Platini – 3: 1983, 1984 and 1985
• Marco van Basten – 3: 1988, 1989 and 1992

Messi and Ronaldo won all ten Ballon d’Or awards presented between 2008 and 2017. That run was ended by Luka Modrić in 2018. Their dominance explains why debates about the award revolved around their rivalry for so long.

Messi and Ronaldo won most of their Ballon d’Or awards while playing for Barcelona and Real Madrid, two clubs often counted among the best in the world. Ronaldo won his first in 2008 as a Manchester United player.

It’s worth separating two records that are often confused: the overall record and consecutive wins. Messi won four in a row, from 2009 to 2012, while Platini had three consecutive wins from 1983 to 1985.

Can goalkeepers and defenders win the Ballon d’Or

Yes, although the list of such winners is short. Lev Yashin won the Ballon d’Or in 1963 and is still the only goalkeeper to have won the main award.

Among defenders, Franz Beckenbauer stands out as the winner in 1972 and 1976, along with Fabio Cannavaro, who won in 2006. The wins by Luka Modrić in 2018 and Rodri in 2024 further show that the award isn’t limited to the most prolific goalscorers.

That’s why comparing candidates makes more sense when, alongside the stats, you consider their position, role and influence on the game.

The Ballon d’Or in women’s football

The women’s Ballon d’Or was introduced in 2018, and the first winner was Norway’s Ada Hegerberg. Megan Rapinoe won the award in 2019, and Alexia Putellas in 2021 and 2022.

Aitana Bonmatí won three in a row, in 2023, 2024 and 2025, making her the record holder in the women’s category as of the most recent ceremony.

The men’s and women’s awards are part of the same event, but they have separate nominations, ballots and winners.

How the Ballon d’Or differs from The Best award

The Ballon d’Or and The Best are now separate awards. The Ballon d’Or is presented by France Football, while The Best is organised by FIFA.

The confusion has a historical explanation. From 2010 to 2015, there was a combined award, the FIFA Ballon d’Or. After the split, the two awards continued separately.

The voting is different too. For FIFA’s The Best 2025, votes were cast by national team coaches, captains, journalists and fans, with each of the four groups accounting for 25% of the overall result. For the Ballon d’Or, the decision rests with an international jury of journalists. Because of the different systems and assessment periods, the winners aren’t necessarily the same.

The World Cup Golden Ball isn’t the same award either. It goes to the best player at a particular World Cup, while France Football assesses performances over a broader reference period.

Who are the latest winners and when is the 2026 ceremony

The latest winners are Ousmane Dembélé and Aitana Bonmatí, who won the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or for 2025.

The nominations for the 2026 edition were announced on 8 September, and the ceremony is scheduled for 26 October 2026 at the London Palladium. It will be the first time the ceremony is held in London, in the year the Ballon d’Or marks 70 years since its first edition.

Why the debate continues after the ceremony

The Ballon d’Or has clear rules, but judging football performance still leaves room for different opinions. Two fans can watch the same season and value a decisive goal, an outstanding tournament or ten months of consistent form differently.

That’s why knowing how the system works helps make the debate more focused. When you know which period counts, who votes and what’s assessed, it’s easier to weigh up the case for each candidate, even when you disagree with the final choice.

Ballon d’Or FAQ

What does Ballon d’Or mean?

Ballon d’Or is French for Golden Ball. It’s the original name of the award France Football launched in 1956.

Can fans vote for the Ballon d’Or?

No. The winners of the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or are chosen by an international jury of specialist journalists. Fan votes don’t count towards the result of these awards.

Why wasn’t the Ballon d’Or awarded in 2020?

France Football cancelled the 2020 award due to the disruption caused by the pandemic and the unequal conditions under which different competitions were played.

Has Robert Lewandowski won the Ballon d’Or?

As of the most recent ceremony, in 2025, he hasn’t. He finished second in the 2021 vote, behind Lionel Messi, and the 2020 award wasn’t presented.

Do the most goals guarantee the Ballon d’Or?

No. Individual performance is the first criterion, but team results and trophies, as well as class and fair play, are also assessed. That’s why the award doesn’t automatically go to the top scorer.