The 2025 Ballon d’Or voting rules have been updated by UEFA as excitement for football’s most coveted individual award grows.
The ceremony this year will be held at Paris’s Théâtre du Châtelet on September 22.
It is anticipated to be one of the most surprising editions in recent years, and the early date reflects the mounting enthusiasm surrounding it.
No obvious favorite has surfaced, with important competitions like the UEFA Champions League final, Nations League, and Club World Cup still to come.
L’Équipe has revealed that the new Ballon d’Or criteria would center on three pillars:
Individual Performances: each player’s skill, judgment, and impact on the field.
Titles and trophies won with clubs and national teams are examples of collective success.
Fair play and sportsmanship pay homage to the spirit and integrity of the game.
With less focus on lifetime accomplishments that could distort assessment, UEFA stated that the goal is to “crown the best footballer of the year based on true merit.”
The battle for this year’s award remains wide open. Last year’s winner, Rodri, clinched the prize over Vinicius Jr. despite Real Madrid’s early Champions League exit.
His decisive performances for Manchester City in the Premier League and for Spain in 2024 proved crucial.
With the Nations League on the horizon, national teams like Spain, France, Portugal, and Germany are expected to influence the final votes once again.
However, players such as Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Lewandowski, and Pedri, who are absent from both the Nations League and Club World Cup, may find their chances limited.
Even though he didn’t win any significant titles in his first season with Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappé is still a serious contender. His pursuit of the Golden Boot and involvement in future competitions may greatly raise his profile.
To further demonstrate its commitment to gender equality in football honors, UEFA has also announced that all male prizes will now have female counterparts.
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