How Is the Ballon d’Or Winner Chosen?
The Ballon d’Or winner is chosen by a jury of football journalists whose ranked selections are converted into points. Under the 2026 regulations, the men’s jury has one representative from each of the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings; the women’s jury draws from the top 50. Each juror ranks ten players from a shortlist of 30. A first-place selection earns 15 points, second earns 12 and third earns 10, with smaller awards continuing down to one point for tenth place. Adding those scores across the ballots produces the final order. The player with the highest total wins. The rules put individual performance first, followed by team achievements, then class and fair play. The process therefore combines personal judgment with a fixed scoring method. If two players finish level on points, the number of first-place selections breaks the tie. If they remain tied, second-place selections are compared, then third-place selections and so on. Source: France Football’s 2026 voting regulations...
