France Football has announced the date and venue for the 69th Ballon d’Or ceremony, which is scheduled to be held at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on Monday, September 22, a month earlier than last year’s event.
The nominees will also be disclosed a month in advance, during the first half of August.
Notable players such as Ousmane Dembélé, Raphinha, Kylian Mbappé, and Mohamed Salah are among the prominent names anticipated to be nominated.
The outcome of the Champions League final is expected to significantly influence the award winnerp.
Favourites for the 2025 Ballon d’Or 2025A journalist representative from each of the top 100 ranked FIFA countries (top 50 for women) will cast their votes for the sport’s most prestigious personal honor.
Last year, Rodri and Aitana Bonmatí won the respective awards for men and women.
While Bonmatí was favored to win a second straight award, and fourth-consecutive for Barcelona Femení players, Rodri’s victory was controversial.
Not only was the result reported before the ceremony began, but many believed Vinícius Júnior should’ve claimed glory.
The Brazilian, along with Jude Bellingham and a wider contingency of Real Madrid, skipped the ceremony, hinting that the club knew beforehand their left winger wouldn’t win on the night.
Vinícius isn’t favored this year given Real Madrid’s struggles, and Rodri won’t win either given he’s spent most of the season recovering from an ACL injury.
For just the fourth time in the last 17 years, a name other than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will be written into the history books joining Luka Modrić, Karim Benzema and Rodri.