Ballon d'Or explained: Who votes, how are points awarded and how is the winner chosen?

NEW DELHI: The Ballon d'Or is one of football's most prestigious individual awards. Every year, the honour is given to a player who has impressed with their performances during the season. But the winner is not decided by goals or trophies alone. Sports journalists vote to choose the player who deserves the award.Harry Kane won the men's Ballon d'Or on Monday after a remarkable season with Bayern Munich and England. He scored 61 goals in 51 matches for Bayern across all competitions, helping the German club win the domestic league and cup double.Kane became the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001. Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas won the women's Ballon d'Or for the third time.So, how is the winner chosen? Who gets to vote, and how are the points calculated?Here is a look at how the Ballon d'Or voting process works:Who votes for the Ballon d'Or?Sports journalists vote to choose the Ballon d'Or winner.For the men's award, one journalist each from 100 countries can vote. These countries are selected based on the FIFA men's rankings as of September 8, 2026.For the women's award, journalists from 50 countries can vote, based on the FIFA women's rankings.Each journalist picks 10 players from a list of 30 nominees and ranks them from first to 10th.The player ranked first gets the most points, while the player ranked 10th gets the fewest.All the points are added together. The player with the highest total wins the award.How are the 30 Ballon d'Or nominees selected?The editorial teams of France Football magazine and L'Equipe help select the 30 nominees.For the men's award, the selection process also includes at least one member of the previous year's jury and UEFA ambassadors Luis Figo and Fabio Capello.Nadine Kessler is involved in selecting nominees for the women's award.Once the shortlist is ready, the eligible journalists vote to decide the winner.How does the Ballon d'Or points system work?The points a player receives depend on where each journalist places them on their ballot. A player ranked first receives the highest number of points, while the player ranked 10th gets the lowest.The points are awarded as follows:RankPoints1st152nd123rd104th85th76th57th48th39th210th1What happens if players finish level on points?If two players get the same total points, the player with more first-place votes wins. If they have the same number of first-place votes, their second-place votes are compared.This process continues until a winner is decided.Who selects the 30 Ballon d'Or nominees?The editorial teams of France Football magazine and L'Equipe help select the 30 nominees.For the men's award, the selection process also includes at least one member of the previous year's jury and UEFA ambassadors Luis Figo and Fabio Capello.Nadine Kessler is involved in selecting nominees for the women's award.Once the final list is ready, eligible sports journalists vote to decide the winner.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.