Explained: Who actually votes for the Ballon D'Or Winner?

Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, three superstars, but only one can win. So who actually decides the Ballon d'Or? Ballon d'Or is French for Golden Ball. The award was created by French magazine France Football in 1956. The first winner, England's Stanley Matthews. And 70 years later, the ceremony is being held in London in his honour. But who chooses the winner? Not the players, not the managers, not the fans, but 100 journalists. for each of the top 100 FIFA-ranked nations. Each journalist ranks their top 10 players from a shortlist of 30 with points awarded according to their ranking. But what are they actually judging? Well, firstly, of course, it's individual performances. Secondly, it's their contribution to the team. And thirdly, it's class and fair play. The 2026 assessment period ran from August 2025 to the 19th of July this year, so it included the World Cup final. And the votes are made public after the winner is announced. Last year, Ousmane Dembele won the award, and of those 100 journalists, 73 ranked him number one. So while millions of fans argue about who deserves this award, ultimately, it's just 100 journalists who decide.