The Reference Period

The period in question runs from August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026. It encompasses the entire season and major international competitions: the World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations for men; the Asian Cup and Nations League final phase for women. The women's Africa Cup of Nations, which ended on August 16, counts toward the current season.

The Composition of the Main Jury

The Ballon d'Or is awarded by an international jury of specialist journalists, with one representative per country. 

The men's jury comes from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings, while the women's jury comes from the top 50. The ranking considered is that of September 8, 2026, the date the nomination lists were published.

Men's & Women's Ballon d'Or

Each juror ranks ten players among the 30 nominees. The ten selected receive 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point respectively. 

The trophy goes to the candidate with the highest total points.

Men's & Women's Goalkeeper of the Year 

For the men's trophy, each juror ranks three goalkeepers among the ten selected, who receive 5, 3, and 1 points respectively.

For the women's trophy, each juror designates the 2 best goalkeepers, who receive 2 and 1 points respectively.

The winner is the candidate with the most points.

Men's & Women's Coach of the Year 

This trophy rewards overall excellence: quality of play, titles won, leadership, tactics, squad optimization, discovery of young talent, exceeding objectives, and fair play. 

Each juror selects two coaches among five nominees for both lists, awarding 2 and 1 points respectively.

Men's & Women's Club of the Year 

The criteria considered for clubs are quality of play, titles, memorable victories, results exceeding expectations, respect, and fair play. 

For both the men's and women's trophy, each juror selects two clubs among the five nominees, awarding 2 and 1 points respectively.

Men's & Women's Young Talent of the Year

For this trophy, the jury composition is more particular. These are not journalists, but rather players who have marked Ballon d'Or history.

For the men's category, the jury is composed exclusively of the former Ballon d'Or winners, each designating three players among the ten nominees, awarding them 5, 3, and 1 points respectively.

For the women's category, a grand jury bringing together the former Ballon d'Or winners, women's podium finishers since 2018, and an editor-in-chief of France Football selects two players among the five nominees, with 2 and 1 points respectively.

Men's & Women's Striker of the Year

Unlike the other trophies, this one does not involve a vote. 

The trophy is awarded to the player with the highest number of goals scored between August 3, 2025, and July 19, 2026, based solely on this objective criterion.

Socrates award

This prize recognizes footballers' commitment to societal and charitable projects, and is presented by France Football, L’Equipe, and Peace and Sport, a committee that meets to select the projects.

These questions regarding the voting process are now answered. Only one question remains: the verdict.

See you on October 26 in London to discover the winners!