What Happened to Ballon d'Or?
The Ballon d'Or, French for 'Golden Ball', is an annual football award presented by the French news magazine France Football since 1956, recognizing the world's best male and female players over the previous season. Widely regarded as the most prestigious individual accolade in football, it has evolved from a European-focused award to a global prize, with recent developments including co-organization by UEFA and a shift to a season-based evaluation period. The 2025 awards saw Ousmane Dembélé and Aitana Bonmatí crowned, and nominees for the 2026 awards were announced in September 2026, with the ceremony scheduled for October 26, 2026, in London.
Quick Answer
The Ballon d'Or remains football's most prestigious individual award, presented annually by France Football. In 2024, Rodri won the Men's Ballon d'Or, and Aitana Bonmatí secured the Women's award. The 2025 awards saw Ousmane Dembélé win the Men's Ballon d'Or, while Aitana Bonmatí claimed her third consecutive Women's Ballon d'Or. As of September 30, 2026, the nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or have been announced, with the 70th ceremony scheduled to take place in London on October 26, 2026, marking the first time the event will be held in the United Kingdom.
📊Key Facts
📅Complete Timeline15 events
Inaugural Ballon d'Or Awarded
The first Ballon d'Or was awarded by France Football magazine to England's Stanley Matthews, recognizing the best European footballer of the year.
Eligibility Expanded to Non-European Players
The rules were changed to allow non-European players to be eligible for the award, provided they played for a European club. George Weah of Liberia became the first non-European winner that year.
Award Becomes Global
The Ballon d'Or became a global prize, with all professional footballers worldwide eligible. For a period, national team coaches and captains were also given voting rights.
Merger with FIFA World Player of the Year
The award merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year to create the FIFA Ballon d'Or, lasting for six seasons until 2015.
Separation from FIFA and Return to Original Format
The partnership with FIFA ended, and the award reverted to the Ballon d'Or, with voting once again exclusively by football journalists.
Women's Ballon d'Or (Ballon d'Or Féminin) Introduced
France Football introduced the Ballon d'Or Féminin to recognize the best female footballer in the world. Ada Hegerberg was the inaugural winner.
Award Cancelled Due to COVID-19
For the first time in its history, the Ballon d'Or was not awarded due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to the football season.
Significant Rule Changes Implemented
France Football modified the rules, changing the evaluation period from a calendar year to a football season and refining the international jury to representatives from the top 100 FIFA-ranked countries.
Lionel Messi Wins Record Eighth Ballon d'Or
Lionel Messi secured his record-extending eighth Men's Ballon d'Or, primarily for his role in leading Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup title.
UEFA Announces Co-organization from 2024
UEFA announced a partnership with Groupe Amaury to co-organize the Ballon d'Or gala starting from 2024, aiming to enhance its global reach and introducing new awards for men's and women's coaches.
Rodri and Aitana Bonmatí Win 2024 Awards
Rodri of Manchester City won the Men's Ballon d'Or, becoming the first Spanish man in 64 years, while Aitana Bonmatí of Barcelona won her second consecutive Women's Ballon d'Or.
Ousmane Dembélé and Aitana Bonmatí Win 2025 Awards
Ousmane Dembélé of Paris Saint-Germain won the Men's Ballon d'Or, and Aitana Bonmatí of Barcelona secured her third consecutive Women's Ballon d'Or.
2026 Ballon d'Or Nominees Announced
France Football and UEFA revealed the shortlists for the 2026 Men's and Women's Ballon d'Or awards, including nominees for other categories like the Kopa and Yashin Trophies.
New Tie-Breaker Rules Released
France Football published updated regulations detailing the tie-breaker procedures for the Ballon d'Or voting, prioritizing first-place votes and ultimately deferring to the editor-in-chief in persistent deadlocks.
70th Ballon d'Or Ceremony in London
The 70th edition of the Ballon d'Or ceremony is scheduled to take place at the London Palladium in London, marking the first time the prestigious event will be held outside of France.
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🔍Deep Dive Analysis
The Ballon d'Or, meaning 'Golden Ball' in French, was established in 1956 by sports writers Gabriel Hanot and Jacques Ferran of France Football magazine to honor the best European footballer of the year. Initially, eligibility was restricted to European players playing in European clubs. This changed in 1995, allowing any player active at a European club, regardless of nationality, to be considered. The award achieved truly global status in 2007 when all professional footballers worldwide became eligible, and for a period, national team coaches and captains also participated in the voting process, before it reverted solely to journalists in 2016.
A significant turning point occurred between 2010 and 2015 when the Ballon d'Or merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year award, becoming the FIFA Ballon d'Or. This partnership ended in 2016, with both France Football and FIFA reinstating their separate awards. The year 2020 saw an unprecedented cancellation of the award due to the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on football.
Major rule modifications were introduced in 2022, shifting the evaluation period from a calendar year to a football season. The voting jury was also refined to include specialized journalists, with one representative per country from the top 100 in the FIFA Men's World Ranking for the men's award and top 50 for the women's. In a move to further enhance its global stature, UEFA announced in November 2023 that it would co-organize the Ballon d'Or gala with Groupe Amaury (publishers of France Football) starting from 2024. This partnership also introduced new awards for the best men's and women's coaches.
The recent awards have seen new faces and continued dominance. In 2024, Spanish midfielder Rodri of Manchester City won the Men's Ballon d'Or, becoming the first Spanish man in 64 years to do so, following a season where he was instrumental in City's record-breaking Premier League title and Spain's Euro 2024 triumph. Aitana Bonmatí of Barcelona continued her stellar run, winning the Women's Ballon d'Or in 2024 and securing her third consecutive award in 2025. The 2025 Men's Ballon d'Or was awarded to Ousmane Dembélé of Paris Saint-Germain, recognizing his exceptional performance in a treble-winning season for his club.
As of September 30, 2026, the Ballon d'Or continues to evolve. Nominees for the 2026 awards were announced on September 8, 2026, featuring prominent players like Jude Bellingham, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, and Kylian Mbappé, alongside eight-time winner Lionel Messi. Notably, Cristiano Ronaldo was absent from the men's shortlist for the first time since 2003. The 70th Ballon d'Or ceremony is set to be held on October 26, 2026, at the London Palladium in London, marking a historic shift from its traditional Paris venue to honor the award's first winner, England's Stanley Matthews. New tie-breaker rules were also released in September 2026, detailing how votes will be counted in case of a deadlock, with the France Football editor-in-chief having the final say in extreme cases.
What If...?
Explore alternate histories. What if Ballon d'Or made different choices?