The countdown to the 70th France Football Ballon d'Or has begun.

On Monday, October 26th in London, England, the global footballing community will converge to crown one male and one female player at a star-studded ceremony.

The men’s winner will become the 70th champion. The women’s winner will be the eighth recipient.

Also honoured that evening will be exceptional young talent, goalkeepers, clubs, and coaches who excelled highly across last season.

Before the stage is set, however, there are the shortlists to announce, and excitingly the wait for that is nearly over…

Date of announcement of the nominees 

On September 8 the shortlists for every category will be unveiled. Make sure you’re the first to know about them by heading to Ballondor.com where they will be announced.

Below is a list of the different categories and how many players/clubs make up each shortlist.

Men’s Ballon d’Or – 30 players

Women’s Ballon d’Or – 30 players

Men’s Young Talent of the Year – 10 players

Women’s Young Talent of the Year – 5 players

Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year – 10 players

Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year – 5 players

Men’s Coach of the Year – 5 coaches

Women’s Coach of the Year – 5 coaches

Men’s Striker of the Year – 10 strikers

Women’s Striker of the Year – 5 strikers

Men’s Club of the Year – 5 clubs

Women’s Club of the Year – 5 clubs

How the voting works

Once the nominees are announced, an international jury of specialized journalists will cast their votes.

The panel consists of one representative per country from the top 100 nations in the FIFA Men's World Ranking and the top 50 in the Women's World Ranking.

Each voter selects their top choices based on three established criteria: individual and decisive performance, collective achievements and trophies won, and class and fair play on and off the pitch.

Using these metrics each voting journalist selects and ranks 10 players from the shortlist, assigning 15 points for their first choice, down to a single point for their tenth.

The accumulated points will determine who takes home the prestigious trophies on October 26.

London calling

Since 2019, the elegant Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris has been the home of Ballon d’Or. This year, to mark the award’s 70th anniversary, the ceremony is to be held in London, largely to honour its inaugural winner, Sir Stanley Matthews.

A player who embodied the very best traits of Englishness in his every action, Matthews was a true ambassador of football and Ballon d’Or are proud to pay tribute to the winger’s immense accomplishments.

After all, history matters as much as the future.

The ‘Wizard of Dribble’ received his golden ball in a wood-panelled room within Blackpool Town Hall. The town’s mayor commissioned a china plate to commemorate the day.

As wonderfully quaint as this is, it’s fair to say this year’s ceremony may be somewhat grander!

2025 winners 

Men’s Ballon d’Or – Ousmane Dembélé (PSG and France)

Women’s Ballon d’Or – Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona and Spain)

Men’s Young Talent of the Year – Lamine Yamal (Barcelona and Spain)

Women’s Young Talent of the Year – Victoria López (Barcelona and Spain)

Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year – Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG and Italy)

Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year – Hannah Hampton (Chelsea and England)

Men’s Coach of the Year – Luis Enrique (PSG)

Women’s Coach of the Year – Sarina Wiegman (England)

Men’s Striker of the Year – Viktor Gyökeres (Sporting CP and Sweden)

Women’s Striker of the Year – Ewa Pajor (Barcelona and Poland)

Men’s Club of the Year – Paris Saint-Germain  

Women’s Club of the Year – Arsenal