Is the Ballon d'Or really awarded to the best? The 2026 vote under the microscope

Yesterday evening, Monday, October 26, the attention of the football world turned to the British capital, London, where the 70th Ballon d'Or ceremony was being held, amid open competition between an elite group of the game's most prominent stars.

The 2026 edition will be held in London, for the first time outside France, in a move that gives the ceremony a special historical character.

The Golden Ball ceremony was held at the London Palladium in the British capital.

However, over the past years, some voices have arisen saying that determining the identity of the winner is not limited only to individual numbers or the number of goals scored, but rather a group of factors intersect in this, including influence on the field, collective achievements, and major titles, in addition to the impression that the player leaves on voters.

While Bayern Munich star Harry Kane was able to win this year's award, the nature of the competition makes predicting the final result complicated, especially with the different levels of achievement between the players and the differences in their experiences during the season.

Does the competition in 2026 seem more complicated?

This year's edition comes in the absence of a candidate who clearly combines all the elements that have been historically associated with Ballon d'Or winners. The difficulty of predicting in advance who would win lies in the fact that each candidate has a different argument for winning. There are those who rely on individual numbers, those who rely on championships, and those who rely on their influence in major competitions. This discrepancy made the result of the vote related to the extent of the committee members’ conviction of the importance of each factor compared to other factors.

An international committee of specialized sports journalists selects the winners, according to a system that determines the number of voters based on the FIFA classification.

According to information about the 2026 edition, the men’s award committee includes a representative from each of the top 100 countries in the approved FIFA rankings, while the women’s committee includes representatives from the top fifty countries.

The final list of nominees is prepared in cooperation between the award’s organizing bodies, including the editorship of “France Football” and “L’Equipe” magazines, in addition to the entities and names involved in preparing nominations in accordance with the approved regulations. The system aims to combine professional evaluation of players' performance and distribute the selection process to an international group of journalists.

Voting... between sports standards and personal assessments

Some people wonder to what extent numbers and achievements are able to decide the Ballon d'Or race, and where do sports standards end and personal estimates begin?

The voting mechanism for the Ballon d'Or has always sparked debate about the extent of its ability to achieve fairness between players, especially since choosing the winner does not depend on numbers and statistics alone, but is also influenced by the estimates of journalists participating in the voting process.

The award is awarded based on votes from a group of international journalists, who each select ten players from a final list of 30 nominees, then rank them according to their preference. Points are awarded based on this order, starting from 15 points to the first-placed player, up to one point to the tenth-placed player, with the prize going to the player who scores the highest total of points.

Although this mechanism is based on a specific system, its application leaves room for differences in estimates between voters. While some of them put goals and individual numbers at the forefront of evaluation criteria, others give more weight to team titles, or to the player’s role in major matches and decisive moments.

The controversy is not limited to differences in sports viewpoints, as observers raise questions about the possibility of the player’s fame, his media presence, and the mental image that the public and journalists have formed of him affecting the voters’ choices.

What criteria determine the winner of the Ballon d'Or?

According to the award regulations, the selection of the winner is based on three main criteria arranged in order of priority:

Individual level and decisive influence: This includes the quality of performance, the ability to make a difference in important matches, and the extent of the player’s influence on his team’s results.

Group achievements and titles: The team results and championships achieved by the player during the season are taken into account.

Talent and sportsmanship: This includes a commitment to fair play and sportsmanship on and off the field.

Although these standards are clear in theory, their application remains subject to the personal discretion of the members of the voting committee. There is no mathematical equation that guarantees victory, and superiority in one aspect does not necessarily mean superiority over all competitors.

Scoring goals is an influential factor, but it is not sufficient

Goals give their owners a clear advantage in the Ballon d'Or race, especially when they come in major tournaments or decide fateful confrontations. However, the evaluation of strikers is not limited to the number of goals alone, but extends to the value of those goals, their timing, and the level of competition during which they were scored.

Harry Kane stands out this season as one of the most prominent examples of scoring effectiveness, after he had an exceptional season with Bayern Munich, topping the scorers’ race in the German League for the third consecutive season, in addition to obtaining the European Golden Shoe.

It is not enough for a player to score a large number of goals, as some scorers have not succeeded in doing so despite having this characteristic, and Mohamed Salah is an example of that. On the other hand, the history of the award shows that some players were able to win it without achieving high scoring numbers, especially those who are active in defensive positions or perform influential tactical roles, the most important of whom is Fabio Cannavaro, the former defender of the Italian national team and winner of the 2006 Ballon d’Or.

Major titles...an important path to the podium

In addition to individual performance, the championships a player wins with his club or country constitute an essential element in evaluating his season.

The historical patterns of the award indicate that winning major tournaments, such as the Champions League or international tournaments, often gives candidates an additional advantage, while winning the local league title alone may not be enough to decide the competition.

However, titles are not an absolute requirement, as a player can compete strongly if he presents an exceptional individual season, even if his team does not succeed in winning all the targeted championships.

The importance of this factor is highlighted in the 2026 race, and if Harry Kane enters the competition after a successful season locally with Bayern Munich, his competitors will rely on a different mix of individual and collective achievements.

Flamin Yamal is benefiting from his position among the most prominent emerging talents in world football, and from achieving the 2026 World Cup title with the Spanish national team, while Kylian Mbappe has a scoring record and a competitive presence that make his name strongly present in the discussion about the award.

Individual awards and major tournament performances

The chances of winning do not stop at team titles, as the individual awards that a player receives during the season can enhance his standing with the voting committee.

Obtaining the best player award in a major tournament or performing exceptional levels in crucial roles contributes to consolidating the player’s image as one of the most prominent stars of the season.

International tournaments are of particular importance in this context, because they give players the opportunity to appear in front of a wide global audience, and also allow voters to evaluate their performance in matches with high competitive pressure.

But performance in one tournament is not supposed to exclude the rest of the season from the calculations, as the final evaluation includes the period specified for the award, and combines continuity, impact and achievements achieved.

The advantage of playing in a big club

Joining one of the major clubs may be a contributing factor in the Ballon d'Or race, not because it officially gives the player additional points, but because it constantly puts him in the spotlight.

Stars who represent clubs with global fan bases usually receive wider media coverage, and their matches are closely followed, making their achievements more visible in the public debate.

Clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have a great ability to attract media attention, which may be reflected in the extent of their players’ attendance in the individual award race.

Awards included in the ceremony

In addition to the Golden Ball for the men's and women's categories, the ceremony includes a group of individual and group awards that honor the most prominent achievements of the season, which are:

Golden Ball: for the best player and the best female player.

Copa Cup: For the best player and the best young player under 21 years of age.

Yashin Cup: for the best goalkeeper and the best female goalkeeper.

Gerd Müller Trophy: For the best scorer and the best goalscorer.

Johan Cruyff Trophy: For the best coach and the best coach.

Club of the Year Award: for men’s and women’s categories.

Socrates Award: To honor humanitarian and social initiatives

A historical overview of the Ballon d'Or, and how it developed

The Ballon d'Or award was launched in 1956 at the initiative of sports journalists Gabriel Hano and Jacques Ferrand, and at first it was limited to European players.

In 1995, it expanded to include players of different nationalities, on the condition that they play for European clubs. Liberian star George Weah, an Italian Milan player at the time, was the first player from outside the Old Continent to win the award in the same year. Before it became a global award open to all professional players in 2007.

As for the Women’s Award, it was launched in 2018, and Norwegian Ada Hegerberg was the first to win it.

Since the 2024 edition, the “Amore” group, which owns the “France Football” and “L’Equipe” magazines, and the European Football Association (UEFA) have jointly organized the award.

Argentine Lionel Messi also leads the way with 8 gold balls, followed by Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo with 5 balls.

In 2020, the award was canceled for the first time in its history since 1956 due to the repercussions of the Corona pandemic and the cessation of some leagues.

Edited by: Hassan Zenand