The Ballon d'Or is football's most prestigious individual award, but neither fans nor players and coaches decide who wins it. The final result comes from an international jury of journalists selected under rules established by France Football.
Who votes to decide the Ballon d'Or Winner?
The Ballon d'Or is decided by a global jury of specialized football journalists, with 100 voters for the men's award and 50 for the women's prize.
For the men's Ballon d'Or, the jury is made up of 100 journalists specializing in men's football. Each represents one of the top 100 countries in the FIFA Men's World Ranking, with only one voter allowed per nation. The ranking used is the latest available before the list of nominees is published.
The Women's Ballon d'Or follows a similar system but with a smaller electorate: 50 journalists specializing in women's football, representing the top 50 countries in the FIFA Women's World Ranking.
What does each journalist vote for?
Each juror receives the official shortlist of 30 nominees and chooses ten players, ranking them from first to tenth based on merit.
Those positions translate into points. A first-place vote is worth 15 points, followed by 12 for second place, 10 for third and eight for fourth. From fifth to tenth, players receive seven, five, four, three, two and one point respectively.
The player with the most points after all ballots are counted wins the Ballon d'Or. In case of a tie, the player with the most first-place votes ranks higher. If the tie remains, second-place votes are compared, followed by third-place votes and so on.
Who chooses the nominees?
The journalists who determine the winner do not independently create the initial shortlist.
The 30-player list is established through a separate process involving the editorial teams of France Football and L'Équipe, alongside designated contributors such as the best juror from the previous edition and UEFA ambassadors.
Although UEFA has co-organized the Ballon d'Or ceremony since 2024, Groupe Amaury, owner of France Football and L'Équipe, retains ownership of the award and oversees an independent voting system.
That distinction is important: UEFA helps organize the event, but the Ballon d'Or remains fundamentally a global vote by football journalists.
The same system will determine the 2026 winner, who will be crowned when the 70th Ballon d'Or ceremony takes place in London on October 26.
