Ballon d'Or 2026: Voting Deadline Date Emerges as Race Heats Up

• The Ballon d'Or 2026 voting deadline has been confirmed, with an international jury of specialised journalists casting their ballots
• Ghana qualifies to participate in the voting process, with renowned sports journalist Michael Oti-Adjei representing the country
• The award ceremony is scheduled to take place in London on October 26, with the reference period covering last season

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The deadline for voting in the 2026 Ballon d'Or has been set for September 28, with the ceremony scheduled to follow at a London venue on October 26.

The award is decided by an international jury of specialised sports journalists, with one representative assigned per country.

Eligibility is determined by the FIFA world rankings published on September 8, 2026, covering the top 100 nations for the men's award and the top 50 for the women's equivalent.

Ghana, currently ranked 65th in the world by FIFA, qualifies for inclusion, with renowned sports journalist Michael Oti-Adjei serving as the country's designated voter.

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How the Ballon d'Or voting works

Each juror selects ten players in descending order of preference from a shortlist of 30 candidates, compiled by the editorial teams at France Football and L'Équipe, alongside at least one juror from the previous edition.

UEFA ambassadors Luis Figo and Fabio Capello contribute to the men's list, while Nadine Kessler is involved in drawing up the women's shortlist.

Points are distributed across the ten selections as follows: 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1, in descending order.

The player who accumulates the highest total wins the award. Should two or more players finish level on points, the tie is broken by the number of first-place votes, then second-place votes, and so on until a winner is determined.

Reference period and eligible competitions

The 2026 edition covers the full 2025/26 season, running from August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026.

International competitions count within the assessment window, meaning performances at both the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations are factored into jury deliberations for the men's award.

The expanded eligibility window makes this a particularly consequential edition, given that a World Cup year traditionally produces standout individual performances that carry significant weight with voters.

Mbappe and Yamal’s Ballon d’Or cases

In another related publication, YEN.com.gh compared Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal’s statistics and cases for the Ballon d’Or.

Mbappe’s case is based on his individual numbers and Golden Boots, while Yamal’s is strengthened by his trophies, including Spain’s 2026 World Cup triumph.

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Source: YEN.com.gh