Ballon d'Or 2025: dates, votes, criteria... Everything you need to know about the election of the best player of the season

In just under two and a half months, we will know if France has a sixth winner of the prestigious Ballon d'Or after Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini (three times), Jean-Pierre Papin,Zinédine Zidane and Karim Benzema . With his incredible personal season (35 goals, 16 assists in all competitions) as well as that of PSG , Parisian striker Ousmane Dembélé is one of the favorites. But he is not the only one.

Among the contenders are also his teammates Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), and Vitinha (Portugal), but above all, FC Barcelona's Spanish prodigy, Lamine Yamal. Les Bleus captain Kylian Mbappé appears out of the running after Real Madrid's 4-0 defeat by PSG in the Club World Cup semi-finals. Once the competition concludes on Sunday evening after the final between PSG and Chelsea, one hundred journalists will be asked to vote to determine the winner of the 69th edition.

The 2025 Ballon d'Or, awarded by France Football magazine, creator and organizer of the most prestigious individual trophy in the sport, will be presented on September 22 in Paris. A total of 13 prizes will be awarded, including the men's and women's Ballons d'Or, which will recognize the best players of the 2024-2025 season, during an evening event planned at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, in partnership with UEFA.

For the first time, there will be as many awards for men as for women, with trophies for best young player, best goalkeeper, and top scorer for club and country added to the list. The nominees, including the 30 players in contention for the Ballon d'Or, will be revealed in early August.

The voters are journalists. There are 100 for the men's Ballon d'Or (50 for the women's Ballon d'Or). Each country in the top 100 of the FIFA rankings (top 50 for women) therefore has a journalist representative who votes for the winner of the most prestigious individual trophy in the world of football.

Each journalist must choose a top 10, each place of which awards points to the designated player. The first-place finisher is awarded 15 points, the second-place finisher receives 12 points, the third-place finisher receives 10 points, the fourth-place finisher receives 8 points, the fifth-place finisher receives 7 points, and so on. The player with the most points is named the Ballon d'Or winner.

Three hierarchical criteria are considered by Ballon d'Or voters. First, individual performances and decisive and impressive character. Second, teamwork and trophies won. Finally, class and fair play.

In 2000, Zinedine Zidane, who had a dazzling and victorious Euro with the French national team, was penalized by the judges for a Champions League sending-off a few days before the vote. Portuguese player Figo won the Ballon d'Or.