Ballon d'Or 2025: How does the voting work and who are the favourites to win?

The Ballon d’Or awards ceremony is set to crown the best player from last season on Monday. The prestigious award has been running since 1956 and is regarded as the most coveted individual accolade in football.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri won the men’s prize last year after helping his club win the Premier League and playing a key role in Spain’s triumph at Euro 2024. In the women’s game, Aitana Bonmati clinched the trophy for a second consecutive year, having helped Barcelona claim the Primera Division and Champions League.

This year, PSG’s first Champions League victory means several of their squad have been nominated for the men’s Ballon d’Or, while Mohamed Salah enjoyed a spectacular season as Liverpool secured the Premier League title.

Meanwhile, the Lionesses retaining the Euros under Sarina Wiegman has led several England players to be nominated for the women’s award. Arsenal winning the Champions League could also impact who takes top spot.

The award may arguably be deemed the sport’s most important individual trophy, but it is not decided by the players themselves. Here, Mirror Football details how the Ballon d’Or voting works and who is among the favourites to win the award.

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How does the Ballon d’Or voting system work?

The list of 30 nominees is compiled by journalists from France Football and L’Equipe. After the selection is complete, one football journalist from each country in the top 100 of FIFA’s world rankings is instructed to submit their top 10 for the men’s trophy from the shortlist.

Players are awarded 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point based on their respective rankings. The totals from the 100 journalists are then tallied to decide the top 30 rankings. If two players are level on points, they will be separated by how many first place votes they had. Should that still be tied, they will be separated by second place votes, and so on, until a difference can be found.

Since 2022, the voting has been based on players’ performances over a single season. Between 2007 and 2015, the captain and manager of each country recognised by FIFA were invited to participate in the final vote, but this is no longer the case.

The voting for the women’s Ballon d’Or works slightly differently. The final rankings are decided by votes from a journalist in each of the top 50 nations, rather than those in the top 100.

Who are the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or?

PSG forward Ousmane Dembele is considered the leading contender to win the men’s Ballon d’Or. According to Betfair, he is 1/4 to be crowned the Ballon d’Or winner after helping fire the French side to Champions League glory last term.

The nearest rival to Dembele, according to Betfair, is Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, who won the Kopa award for best under-21 player at the last Ballon d’Or ceremony. The teenager scored 18 goals and provided 25 assists in 55 games across all competitions, helping Barcelona claim the La Liga title.

However, current Ballon d’Or holder Rodri is not among this year’s nominations. The City and Spain midfielder made just eight appearances last term due to recovering from a long-term injury.

Who are the men’s Ballon d'Or nominees?

Jude Bellingham (England, Real Madrid )

Ousmane Dembélé (France, PSG)

Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy, PSG/Manchester City)

Desire Doue (France, PSG)

Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands, Inter)

Serhou Guirassy (Guinea, Borussia Dortmund )

Viktor Gyökeres (Sweden, Sporting CP/Arsenal)

Erling Haaland (Norway, Manchester City)

Achraf Hakimi (Morocco, PSG)

Harry Kane (England, Bayern)

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia, Napoli/PSG)

Robert Lewandowski (Poland, Barcelona)

Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina, Liverpool)

Lautaro Martínez (Argentina, Inter)

Kylian Mbappe (France, Real Madrid)

Scott McTominay ( Scotland, Napoli)

Nuno Mendes (Portugal, PSG)

Joao Neves (Portugal, PSG)

Michael Olise (France, Bayern)

Cole Palmer (England, Chelsea )

Pedri (Spain, Barcelona)

Raphinha (Brazil, Barcelona)

Declan Rice (England, Arsenal)

Fabian Ruiz (Spain, PSG)

Mohamed Salah (Egypt, Liverpool)

Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands, Liverpool)

Vinícius Junior (Brazil, Real Madrid)

Vitinha (Portugal, PSG

Florian Wirtz (Germany, Leverkusen/Liverpool)

Lamine Yamal (Spain, Barcelona)

Who are the women's Ballon d'Or nominees?

Sandy Baltimore (France, Chelsea)

Barbra Banda (Zambia, Orlando Pride)

Aitana Bonmatí (Spain, Barcelona)

Lucy Bronze (England, Chelsea)

Klara Buhl (Germany, Bayern)

Mariona Caldentey (Spain, Arsenal)

Sofia Cantore (Italy, Juventus /Washington Spirit)

Steph Catley ( Australia, Arsenal)

Temwa Chawinga (Malawi, Kansas City)

Melchie Dumornay (Haiti, OL Lyonnes)

Emily Fox (United States, Arsenal)

Cristiana Girelli (Italy, Juventus)

Esther Gonzalez (Spain, Gotham FC)

Caroline Graham Hansen (Norway, Barcelona)

Patri Guijarro (Spain, Barcelona)

Amanda Gutierres (Brazil, Palmeiras)

Hannah Hampton (England, Chelsea)

Pernille Harder (Denmark, Bayern)

Lindsey Heaps (United States, OL Lyonnes)

Chloe Kelly (England, Manchester City/Arsenal)

Frida Maanum (Norway, Arsenal)

Marta (Brazil, Orlando Pride)

Clara Mateo (France, Paris FC)

Ewa Pajor (Poland, Barcelona)

Claudia Pina (Spain, Barcelona)

Alexia Putellas (Spain, Barcelona)

Alessia Russo (England, Arsenal)

Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (Sweden, Chelsea)

Caroline Weir (Scotland, Real Madrid)

Leah Williamson (England, Arsenal)

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