The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony is just around the corner. On October 26, London will host the gala where the most prestigious individual award in world football will be presented.

With the lists of nominees already announced, attention now turns to who will take home the trophies in this 70th edition.

However, deciding the winners isn't down to speculation. It relies on a strict and transparent voting system managed by France Football.

But... who is responsible for making the final decision, and how exactly does the voting process work?

Below, we review the official rules, the composition of the international jury, and the key points of the 2026 Ballon d'Or regulations.

Who makes up the Ballon d'Or jury?

The Ballon d'Or is awarded by an international jury of specialized journalists, with one representative per country: the top 100 nations according to the FIFA rankings for the men's award, and the top 50 for the women's award.

The FIFA ranking used is the one in effect at the time the nominee lists were published on September 8, 2026.

How does the voting system work?

Each jury member selects 10 players in descending order of merit from a 30-player shortlist. This list is compiled by the editorial staff of France Football, members of L'Équipe's editorial team, at least one member of the previous edition's jury, and UEFA ambassadors Luis Figo and Fabio Capello for the men's trophy, and Nadine Kessler for the women's trophy.

The 10 selected players receive 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point respectively. The Ballon d'Or is awarded to the player with the highest overall score.

What happens in the event of a tie?

In the event of a tie in the total vote count, the tie-breaker will be decided by the number of first-place votes.

If the tie persists, it will be broken based on the number of second-place votes, then third-place votes, and so on.

Any other controversy arising from the voting process will be resolved by the editor-in-chief of France Football in their capacity as the organizer.

With all these questions answered, all that remains is to wait until October 26 to find out the winners of the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

Who will claim the most prestigious award in world football?