Why isn’t the 2022 World Cup included in Ballon d’Or this year?
In an interesting move by ‘France Football and ‘L’Equipe, not only have they changed dates, but the manner in which nominees will be considered as well.
This year’s edition of the Ballon d’Or awards will have a unique element to it and we’re going to give you the low down on just exactly why that is and how it will all work.
FIFA World Cup performances won’t count in 2022 Ballon d’Or, but why?
If you missed it, reports have confirmed that ‘France Football’s’ 2022 Ballon d’Or will be a special edition of sorts. With the 2022 FIFA World Cup starting on November 20th and running until December 18th, the awards have shifted their date to Monday, October 17th, which is a whole two months earlier than the traditional time at which the event is usually held. What’s most interesting about this alteration, is that the performances of players in Qatar won’t be considered when voting takes place. Indeed, the French magazine has actually taken the decision - from this year forward - to award the Ballon d’Or seasonally, rather than on a calendar year as was previously the case. With that said, World Cup won’t be included.
From location to the list of nominees, here’s some other Ballon d’Or tidbits
One thing that hasn’t changed about the ceremony, is its location. With the 2022 Ballon d’Or slated to be held at the prestigious Théâtre Châtelet in Paris, it will follow in the tradition of the last few editions which were all held at that the theatre. Where the awards themselves are concerned, the four headline prizes are obviously for the highly anticipated men’s category, the Ballon d’Or for women, as well as the Best Young Footballer and the Best Goalkeeper. If you’re curious about who the nominees are in the men’s category this year, then take a look below:
How are Ballon d’Or nominees selected?
If you’re wondering how ‘France Football’ arrives at their final list, then you should know off the bat, that it’s actually a combination of lists from three main sources. Firstly, you’ve got the journalists of ‘France Football’ and ‘L’Equipe’ who compile their respective lists. Then, you’ve got Ballon d’Or ambassador and former Chelsea star Didier Drogba, who offers up his own. Last but not least, we have the recently added votes from the media.
In this new tweak to the format, varying journalists have had their lists added to the pool of consideration. This included, Vietnamese journalist Truong Anh Ngoc, New Zealand’s Gordon Watson and Czech journalist Karolina Hlavackova, who saw her list for the women’s Ballon d’Or added to the pool of France Football/L’Equipe.