How the Ballon d‘Or voting process works: who is the jury and what criteria are used?

The early anticipated moment has arrived. The winners of the 2024 men’s and women’s Ballons d’Or are set to be announced tonight at a ceremony in Paris, where the Theatre du Chatelet will again be the venue.

How are the Ballon d’Or winners chosen?

For the men’s award, a total of 100 journalists - one each from the top 100 nations in FIFA’s world ranking - vote for the winner from a 30-player shortlist. They also cast their ballot for the recipients of the Yashin Trophy (for the best men’s goalkeeper), and the Men’s Coach of the Year and Men’s Club of the Year awards.

The women’s Ballon d’Or, meanwhile, is chosen from a 30-player shortlist by a group of 50 journalists, one each from the highest 50 nations in the FIFA women’s world ranking. The same jury also decides the winners of the Women’s Coach of the Year and the Women’s Club of the Year.

Both Ballon d’Or shortlists, announced in September, were chosen by editorial staff at France Football - the soccer magazine that created the awards - as well as journalists at the sports newspaper L’Équipe. What’s more, adds UEFA, which now co-organises the Ballon d‘Or with France Football, the following individuals were also involved in selecting this year’s nominees: “The best juror from the previous edition – Costa Rica for the men’s Ballon d’Or, South Africa for the women’s Ballon d’Or – and UEFA ambassadors Luís Figo for the men’s trophy and Nadine Kessler for the women’s trophy.”

What is the eligibility period for the Ballon d’Or?

Until 2021, the Ballon d’Or recognised outstanding performances over the course of the calendar year. Now, however, the award is given out based on accomplishments over the past European season - in this case, 2023/24. “[The eligibility period runs] from August to the following August, including international competitions (EURO, AFCON, Copa América, and the Olympics),” UEFA says.

What are the Ballon d’Or voting criteria?

Jurors are told to judge players on the following three main criteria:

1: Individual performances, decisive and impressive character

2: Team performances and achievements

3: Class and fair play

What is the Ballon d’Or voting system?

Every juror selects their top 10 candidates for the Ballon d’Or, awarding each player a progressively lower number of points: their No. 1 pick gets 15, and their following choices each receive 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, respectively. The Ballon d‘Or is given to the player who amasses the highest number of points across all jurors’ votes.