LONDON, United Kingdom – The Ballon d’Or remains one of football’s most prestigious individual honours, but winning the golden ball involves more than scoring goals, lifting trophies or attracting headlines.
The award, organised by French magazine France Football and co-organised with UEFA, recognises the best men’s and women’s players in world football. The 2026 ceremony took place at London’s Palladium on October 26, marking the award’s 70th anniversary.
With leading players including Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and defending champion Ousmane Dembélé in the men’s race, the outcome depended on an international jury of specialist football journalists.
Here is how the voting system works, the criteria used to assess players and the history behind the award.
What is the Ballon d’Or?
The Ballon d’Or was introduced in 1956 by France Football to recognise Europe’s best footballer. England legend Stanley Matthews became its inaugural winner.
The award initially excluded players from outside Europe, but its eligibility rules expanded in 1995 to include non-European footballers playing for European clubs. In 2007, it became a global award regardless of a player’s nationality or club location.
The women’s Ballon d’Or was introduced in 2018, with Norway international Ada Hegerberg becoming the first recipient.
Since 2024, France Football and UEFA have jointly organised the ceremony, although France Football retains responsibility for the award and its voting process.
What criteria determine the winner?
Players are assessed over the designated season rather than simply their performances during a calendar year.
For the 2026 awards, the assessment period ran from August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026, covering club and international competitions.
Three criteria guide the jury, in order of importance:
- Individual performances: A player’s quality, consistency, decisive contributions and ability to produce impressive performances.
- Team achievements: Collective performances and trophies won with club and country.
- Class and fair play: The player’s conduct and sporting behaviour.
Individual performance comes first, meaning team trophies alone do not automatically determine the winner. Voters are expected to consider the complete assessment period and apply the criteria in the prescribed order.
Who votes for the Ballon d’Or?
The winners are selected by an international jury of specialist journalists representing countries according to their positions in FIFA’s world rankings.
For the men’s award, 100 journalists represent the top 100 countries in the relevant FIFA rankings. For the women’s award, 50 journalists represent the top 50 nations in the women’s rankings.
The rankings used for the 2026 awards were those in effect when the nominee lists were published on September 8, 2026.
The nominees are selected through a process involving France Football’s editorial team, L’Équipe editorial representatives, a member of the previous edition’s jury and designated UEFA ambassadors.
For the men’s award, the UEFA ambassadors include former footballers Luis Figo and Fabio Capello. Nadine Kessler is the designated ambassador for the women’s award.
How does the points system work?
Each journalist ranks 10 players from the 30-person shortlist in descending order of preference.
The points are allocated as follows:
| Position | Points awarded |
|---|---|
| First | 15 |
| Second | 12 |
| Third | 10 |
| Fourth | 8 |
| Fifth | 7 |
| Sixth | 5 |
| Seventh | 4 |
| Eighth | 3 |
| Ninth | 2 |
| Tenth | 1 |
The player who accumulates the highest overall points total wins the award.
If two players finish level, the first tie-breaker is the number of first-place votes. If the tie persists, second-place votes are considered, followed by third-place votes and subsequent positions.
Any dispute arising from the vote is settled by the editor-in-chief of France Football.
Who are the past men’s Ballon d’Or winners?
Lionel Messi holds the record with eight Ballon d’Or titles, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with five.
The pair dominated the award for much of the period between 2008 and 2017, with Luka Modrić interrupting their run by winning in 2018.
Other multiple winners include Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten, who each won three times.
Recent winners before the 2026 ceremony included Ousmane Dembélé in 2025, Rodri in 2024, Messi in 2023 and Karim Benzema in 2022. The 2020 award was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Which English players have won the award?
England has produced four Ballon d’Or winners across five victories.
Stanley Matthews won the inaugural award in 1956, followed by Bobby Charlton in 1966. Kevin Keegan claimed the honour in consecutive years, 1978 and 1979, before Michael Owen won in 2001.
Other winners from the United Kingdom include Northern Ireland’s George Best, who won in 1968, and Scotland’s Denis Law, who claimed the prize in 1964.
Harry Kane entered the 2026 race hoping to become the first Englishman to win since Owen.
What other awards are presented?
The Ballon d’Or ceremony includes several additional honours recognising achievements across the men’s and women’s games.
- Young Talent of the Year: Recognises outstanding young players. These awards were previously known as the Kopa Trophy.
- Goalkeeper of the Year: Honours the best goalkeepers, in awards previously known as the Yashin Trophy.
- Coach of the Year: Recognises achievements by managers of men’s and women’s teams.
- Club of the Year: Recognises collective excellence and team achievements.
- Striker of the Year: Rewards the leading goalscorers over the relevant assessment period, in awards previously known as the Gerd Müller Trophy.
- Socrates Award: Recognises humanitarian work and social initiatives supported by individuals in football.
These awards use different selection methods depending on the category, including specialist voting panels and goalscoring statistics.
Why the Ballon d’Or matters
The Ballon d’Or carries significance beyond the individual trophy because it offers a snapshot of how football journalists assess excellence across a season.
Its criteria place individual performance ahead of team honours and sporting conduct, while the international voting system brings together perspectives from journalists representing different football nations.
That combination helps explain why the award can generate debate even among supporters who agree on a player’s ability. A strong season, major trophies and memorable performances all matter, but the final outcome rests on how the jury weighs those factors against the official criteria.
