Ballon d'Or 2025: Voting system explained and who are leading contenders to win?

The Ballon d'Or awards ceremony is set to honour the best player from last season on Monday. The esteemed award, which has been in existence since 1956, is considered the most sought-after individual honour in football. Last year, Manchester City's midfielder Rodri clinched the men's prize after his significant contribution to his club's Premier League victory and Spain's success at Euro 2024. In the women's category, Aitana Bonmati secured the Ballon d'Or trophy for the second year running, following her role in Barcelona's Primera Division and Champions League triumphs.

This year, several members of PSG's squad have been nominated for the men's Ballon d'Or, after firing the club to their first-ever Champions League trophy, while Mohamed Salah is also in contention after a standout season that saw Liverpool clinch the Premier League title. On the women's side, several England players have been nominated for the award, following the Lionesses' successful defence of the Euros under Sarina Wiegman. Arsenal's Champions League victory could also influence who takes the top spot. While the award may be seen as the most significant individual accolade in the sport, it's not decided by the players themselves. Here, Express Sport details how the Ballon d'Or voting works and who are among the favourites to win the award.

How does the Ballon d'Or voting system work?

The 30 nominees for the prestigious award are selected by journalists from France Football and L'Equipe. Once the selection is finalised, a football journalist from each country in FIFA's top 100 world rankings is asked to submit their top 10 picks for the men's trophy from the shortlist.

Points are allocated to players based on their respective rankings: 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point. The total points from all 100 journalists are then added up to determine the top 30 rankings.

If two players end up with the same number of points, the tie-breaker is the number of first-place votes they received. If there's still a tie, second-place votes are considered, and so on, until a difference can be found.

Since 2022, the voting process has been based on players' performances over a single season. Between 2007 and 2015, the captain and manager of each FIFA-recognised country were invited to participate in the final vote, but this practice has since been discontinued.

The voting procedure for the women's Ballon d'Or is slightly different. The final rankings are determined by votes from a journalist in each of the top 50 nations, as opposed to those in the top 100.

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

PSG forward Ousmane Dembele is currently the frontrunner to win the men's Ballon d'Or. According to Betfair, he is 1/4 to be crowned the Ballon d'Or winner after his stellar performance helped the French side clinch Champions League glory last season.

Dembele's closest competitor, according to Betfair, is Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal, who won the Kopa award for the best under-21 player at the previous Ballon d'Or ceremony. The young star netted 18 goals and provided 25 assists in 55 matches across all competitions, helping Barcelona to claim the La Liga title.

However, reigning Ballon d'Or holder Rodri has been left out of this year's nominations. The Manchester City and Spain midfielder only made eight appearances last season due to his recovery from a serious 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)