New Criteria to Win the Ballon d'Or: 2026 Rules Explained
The new criteria to win the Ballon d'Or are attracting considerable attention ahead of the 2026 ceremony. Every year, football fans debate which players have done enough to claim the biggest individual prize in the sport. Goals, assists, trophies and performances in major matches all become part of the discussion.
However, the official Ballon d'Or regulations provide a clearer picture of what voters are actually asked to consider.
For the 2026 edition, France Football has published the complete regulations, confirming three criteria for evaluating the nominees. They are individual performances and decisive character, team performances and achievements, and class and fair play. The criteria are listed in that order of importance.
The 2026 award also covers a specific period of the football calendar, making it important to understand exactly which performances count.
New Criteria to Win the Ballon d'Or 2026?
The Ballon d'Or is not decided simply by trophies and goals. The official rules assess players across three areas.
1. Individual Performance Comes First
The first and most important criterion is individual performance, including a player's decisive and impressive character.
This means voters are expected to look at what a footballer actually contributes on the pitch. Goals and assists can be important for attacking players, but they are not the only measurements available.
A midfielder might influence matches through chance creation, ball progression, passing, pressing and control of important games. A defender can make his case through defensive consistency, positioning, leadership and performances against elite opposition.
The wording of the regulations is particularly important because it places individual performance first. Therefore, simply being part of a successful team does not automatically make a player the leading Ballon d'Or candidate.
The quality and influence of the player's own performances remain central to the award.
2. Team Success and Achievements
The second Ballon d'Or criterion concerns collective performances and achievements.
Football is a team sport, so a player's contribution is considered alongside what his club or national team achieved during the relevant season.
Winning major competitions can significantly strengthen a player's case, particularly when the player has been an important contributor throughout the campaign.
For example, success in a domestic league, UEFA Champions League, international competition or another major tournament can become part of the overall assessment.
However, winning a trophy alone does not guarantee the Ballon d'Or. The regulations place team achievements second, after individual performances.
This distinction is important when comparing players from different clubs and leagues. A player may collect several medals during a season, but voters still have to assess how much that individual contributed to those achievements.
3. Class and Fair Play
The third criterion is class and fair play.
This aspect can sometimes receive less attention in public discussions because statistical performance and trophies are easier to measure. Nevertheless, sporting conduct remains an official part of the Ballon d'Or assessment.
This criterion means the Ballon d'Or considers a player's behaviour and attitude alongside his footballing achievements.
The Ballon d'Or is therefore broader than a statistical competition. The award is designed to recognise the overall quality and sporting profile of a footballer rather than simply identifying the player with the highest goal total.
Which Season Counts for the 2026 Ballon d'Or?
One of the most important details in the new 2026 regulations is the official reference period.
According to France Football's published rules, the men's Ballon d'Or considers performances from August 3, 2025, through July 19, 2026. International competitions are included within the reference period.
This means voters are not simply judging what a player has done during the calendar year 2026.
Instead, the award looks at the specified football season and the international competitions that fall within the defined period.
This distinction matters because a player's performances from outside the reference window do not form part of the same evaluation.
How Does Ballon d'Or Voting Work?
An international jury of specialised journalists conducts the voting process.
For the men's award, one journalist represents each of the 100 highest-ranked countries in the FIFA men's world ranking, based on the ranking position when the nominee list is published.
The journalists receive a list of 30 nominees and select 10 players in order of preference.
Points are then distributed according to the following system:
- First place: 15 points
- Second place: 12 points
- Third place: 10 points
- Fourth place: 8 points
- Fifth place: 7 points
- Sixth place: 5 points
- Seventh place: 4 points
- Eighth place: 3 points
- Ninth place: 2 points
- Tenth place: 1 point
The player collecting the highest overall points total wins the award. If two players finish level, the first tiebreaker is the number of first-place votes. Further ties are resolved through second-place votes, then third-place votes and so on.
Why Big Matches Matter
Although the rules do not create a separate "big-game points" category, decisive performances can influence how journalists evaluate individual quality.
A player who produces excellent performances throughout a season and then performs strongly in important matches may have more evidence supporting his overall case.
This is particularly relevant when players have similar statistics.
For instance, two forwards could finish a season with comparable goal numbers. Voters may then consider the broader picture, including consistency, influence, team achievements and performances during important fixtures.
The criteria therefore leave room for journalists to assess the context behind a player's numbers.
Are Goals and Assists Enough to Win?
Not necessarily.
Goals and assists can be valuable evidence of individual performance, but the Ballon d'Or regulations do not define the winner through a simple statistical formula.
A defender is not expected to compete with a striker purely on goals. Instead, voters consider performances according to the player's role and overall influence.
Likewise, a midfielder does not need to match a forward's goal tally to have a strong Ballon d'Or case.
This makes the award different from a traditional statistical prize. The voting system gives journalists the responsibility of evaluating players across different positions and footballing roles.
What the 2026 Ballon d'Or Criteria Mean for Players
The current system creates a broad test for anyone hoping to win the award.
A player needs to demonstrate a high level of individual performance, contribute meaningfully to team achievements, and maintain the sporting standards included in the fair-play criterion.
There is no official rule stating that a particular number of goals, assists or trophies automatically produces a Ballon d'Or victory.
Instead, the final ranking comes from the combined judgment of the international jury.
This also explains why Ballon d'Or discussions can remain controversial among supporters. Fans may place more importance on statistics, trophies, or individual match performances, while journalists can interpret the three official criteria differently.
Ballon d'Or 2026: What Happens Next?
The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony is scheduled for October 26, 2026, at the London Palladium Theatre. The event will mark the 70th anniversary of the men's Ballon d'Or, which was first awarded in 1956.
The award continues to be organised by France Football, with UEFA co-organising the ceremony and broader awards operation since 2024. Groupe Amaury, which owns France Football and L'Équipe, continues to oversee the voting system.
With the nominees already announced, attention will now turn to how journalists assess the candidates against the official criteria.
The Three Factors Behind the 2026 Ballon d'Or
The Ballon d'Or rules are more structured than many football debates suggest.
For 2026, the three official criteria are:
- Individual performances, decisive and impressive character
- Team performances and achievements
- Class and fair play
Individual performance comes first in the regulations, followed by collective success and then sporting conduct. The voting period also has a defined start and end date, meaning the award is based on a specific football season rather than simply the calendar year.
So, while fans may continue to debate statistics, trophies and memorable moments, the official new criteria to win the Ballon d'Or are ultimately based on a wider assessment of a player's season.
The 2026 voting process will determine which nominee receives the strongest overall support from the international journalist jury.
