Only 2 and a half months to go. 78 days until we find out the winners of the 70th France Football Ballon d'Or. On October 26, in London, one woman and one man will be crowned best players of the football season. But what do they (really) need to do to reach the holy grail? A quick reminder of what our jurors judge when voting.

Individual performances matter more

In 2022, the Ballon d'Or underwent several changes. Two of them were major: the judging period shifted from the calendar year to the sporting season, and the voting criteria were transformed. Until 2021, the rules laid them out as follows:

  1. Individual and collective performances (titles won) during the year in question
  2. The player's class (talent and fair play)
  3. The player's career.

The removal of the career criterion

Since 2022, here are the new criteria taken into account over the sporting season (from August to July):

  1. Individual performances and decisive, impressive character.
  2. Collective performances and titles won.
  3. Class and fair play.

It's important to note that these criteria count "in order of importance," as stated in the trophy's regulations. Jurors are thus asked to rank players (including both club and national team matches) first on the first criterion, then on the second, and finally on the third.

The 100 jurors of the men's Ballon d'Or and the 50 jurors of the women's Ballon d'Or thus elect their favorites from a list of 30 names for each trophy. Their verdict will be made public on October 26 in London. Who will win? The suspense is total.