the Ballon d’Or: How is the winner chosen? (A complete organizational guide)

what is the Ballon d’Or?

the Ballon d’Or is the world’s most prestigious individual soccer award, presented annually by the French soccer publication L’Equipe. started in 1956, it is awarded to the player who performs the best in a season

how the winner is selected

step 1: Journalists from L’Équipe, as well as some retired players, create a list of 30 nominees

step 2: One soccer journalist from each of the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings (50 for women) votes for the top 5 (or 10) players in order of ranking

points allocation: based on the most recent ranking, 1st (6 points), 2nd (4 points), 3rd (3 points), 4th (2 points), 5th (1 point), or 1st (15 points), 2nd (12 points), 3rd (10 points), 4th (8 points), 5th (7 points), 6th (5 points), 7th (4 points), 8th (3 points), 9th (2 points), 10th (1 point), etc

tiebreaker: In case of a tie, the ranking will be broken in the following order: number of first place votes → number of second place votes

voting Criteria

individual skill and decisive performances

team performance and championships won

player’s character and spirit of fair play

starting in 2022, players will be judged on a “full season” basis (August through July), whereas previously they were judged on a “calendar year” basis

how the selection process has changed

1956-1994: Only European players could win the award

1995-2006: Open to non-European players playing for European clubs

2007-present: Open to all players worldwide

2010-2015: co-organized with FIFA, with national team managers and captains also voting

2016-present: Organized solely by journalists, voted on by journalists only

number of nominees is 30 (has varied from 23, 50, etc. in the past), and the three finalists are not announced separately

ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s Ballon d’Or)

new in 2018, same selection process as for men, but one journalist from each of the top 50 countries votes

major winners: ada Hegerberg (2018), Megan Rapinoe (2019), Alexia Putejas (2021, 2022), Aitana Bonmati (2023, 2024)

the Women’s Ballon d’Or is awarded on the same day and at the same venue as the Men’s category

most Ballon d’Or winners

lionel Messi – 8 times

cristiano Ronaldo – 5 times

johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, Marco van Basten – 3 times each

di Stefano, Beckenbauer, Rummenigge, Kevin Keegan, Ronaldo (Brazil) – 2 each

in the women’s category, Alexia Putejas and Aitana Bonmati hold the record with two wins each

criticism and controversy

rarely awarded to defenders and goalkeepers (Lev Yashin has only won once)

tendency to award based on team performance (favoring players from winning teams)

the fact that the award is decided solely by journalists’ votes and the meaning of the individual awards is debated

other criticisms continue to arise, including allegations of vote rigging and marketability

dates and nominations for the 2025 awards

held on Monday, September 22, 2025 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France

nominations released in early August, based on performances in the August 1, 2024-July 31, 2025 season

copa Trophy (U21), Yashin Trophy (goalkeeper), Coach of the Year, and Club of the Year also awarded on the same day

lamine Yamal, Ousmane Dembele, Vinicius, Bellingham, Rodri, Mbappe, and Mbappe are among the favorites for the 2025 Men’s Ballon d’Or