Every Ballon D’or Féminin nomination’s chance of winning (from worst to best) | OneFootball

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The most prestigious awards ceremony in world football is just around the corner. The 2023 Ballon d'Or, which will take place at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on October 30, will recognise the best football players in the world in the 2022–23 season.

A women’s football category – the Ballon d'Or Féminin – was created in 2018, with star striker Ada Hegerberg receiving the inaugural award. Megan Rapinoe then won the accolade in 2019, followed by Alexia Putellas in 2021 and 2022.

Putellas has not been nominated for the Ballon d'Or Féminin this year, however, with the Barcelona and Spain star missing the majority of the season with an ACL injury. This means a brand-new winner will be crowned, but who will it be?

GiveMeSport has taken the 30 nominees for the Ballon d'Or Féminin and ranked them depending on their chance of winning, taking into consideration their performances at both a domestic and international level.

30 Debinha: North Carolina Courage/Kansas City Current/Brazil

Debinha has been prolific in the NWSL, scoring 12 goals for North Carolina Courage in the 2022 season and seven goals for Kansas City Current in the 2023 season.

The 31-year-old may have been ranked higher in this list, but for Brazil’s disappointing campaign at the 2023 Women’s World Cup. The country crashed out in the group stages.

29 Yui Hasegawa: Manchester City/Japan

Yui Hasegawa was impressive in her debut season for Manchester City in the Women’s Super League, becoming an integral part of the team’s midfield. The 26-year-old continued her brilliant form for Japan at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, helping the side to the quarter-finals.

28 Hayley Raso: Manchester City/Real Madrid/Australia

Hayley Raso was one of the stars for host country Australia at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, scoring three goals to help the nation to the semi-finals for the first time in history.

The 29-year-old midfielder was unable to nail down a starting place for Manchester City last season, which may impact her Ballon d’Or Féminin chances, but she has now moved to Real Madrid in Liga F.

27 Wendie Renard: Lyon/France

Wendie Renard added yet more trophies to her collection last season, winning the Division 1 Féminine, Coupe de France and Trophée des Championnes with Lyon. She also captained France to the quarter-finals at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, with her team losing to hosts Australia in a dramatic penalty shoot-out.

26 Daphne van Domselaar: Twente/Aston Villa/Netherlands

Daphne van Domselaar rose to prominence after impressing for the Netherlands at Euro 2022, and she put in similar performances for her country at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

The 23-year-old earned a move to Aston Villa in the WSL after winning the KNVB Women's Cup and Eredivisie Cup with FC Twente last season.

25 Katie McCabe: Arsenal/Republic of Ireland

With players such as Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema and Leah Williamson absent from the Arsenal squad through injury, Katie McCabe stepped up and put in a number of brilliant performances last season.

The 27-year-old was subsequently named Arsenal’s Player of the 2022/23 Season, and won WSL Goal of the Season for a stunning effort against Manchester City. She then captained Ireland at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, scoring the country’s first ever goal at the tournament against Canada.

24 Linda Caicedo: Deportivo Cali/Real Madrid/Colombia

Linda Caicedo lived up to the hype at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, helping Colombia to the quarter-finals for the first time ever. She scored two goals during the tournament, with her fantastic effort against Germany in the group stage sure to go down in history.

The 18-year-old joined Real Madrid halfway through the Liga F campaign, scoring two goals and setting up four more in 10 appearances.

23 Asisat Oshoala: Barcelona/Nigeria

Asisat Oshoala was the top scorer for Barcelona in the Liga F last season, hitting the back of the net 21 times. She also scored five times in the Women’s Champions League. Barcelona won both competitions, as well as the Spanish Super Cup.

The 28-year-old striker also scored at a crucial time for Nigeria at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, with her goal against Australia in the group stage helping her country progress to the round of 16.

22 Amanda Ilestedt: PSG/Arsenal/Sweden

Amanda Ilestedt had an astonishing Women’s World Cup, scoring four times as Sweden finished third. She also performed well defensively, proving valuable to her team at both ends of the pitch. The 30-year-old had a quiet domestic season with PSG, but has now moved to play with Arsenal in the WSL.

21 Jill Roord: Wolfsburg/Manchester City/Netherlands

Jill Roord was part of the Wolfsburg team which reached the Women’s Champions League final last season, with the side also winning the DFB-Pokal Frauen.

The 26-year-old midfielder also had an impressive Women’s World Cup, scoring four goals as the Netherlands reached the quarter-finals. Roord will ply her trade for Manchester City in the WSL next season.

20 Ewa Pajor: Wolfsburg/Poland

Ewa Pajor was one of the most impressive goalscorers in European women’s football last season. She hit 11 goals in the Women’s Champions League, winning the competition’s Golden Boot. The 26-year-old also scored 12 goals in the Frauen-Bundesliga.

Why is a player with such impressive goalscoring stats not higher in the Ballon d’Or Féminin rankings? It’s because Pajor was unable to play at the 2023 Women’s World Cup after Poland didn’t qualify, meaning players who were at the tournament have a better chance of winning football’s most prestigious accolade.

19 Lena Oberdorf: Wolfsburg/Germany

Lena Oberdorf is one of the most talented defensive midfielders in the world, despite being just 21-years-old. She was a crucial part of a Wolfsburg side which won the DFB-Pokal Frauen and reached the Women’s Champions League final.

Despite having a great domestic season, Oberdorf’s standing in the Ballon d’Or Féminin may be impacted by Germany’s poor showing at the 2023 Women’s World Cup. The Euro 2022 finalists suffered a shock exit in the group stage.

18 Mapi Leon: Barcelona

Mapi Leon won the treble – Liga F, Spanish Super Cup and the Women's Champions League – with Barcelona last season.

The 28-year-old has established herself as one of the best centre-backs in the world, but her chances in the Ballon d’Or Féminin will be impacted by her brave decision to withdraw from the Spanish women’s national team due to a dispute with the country’s football governing body.

17 Georgia Stanway: Bayern Munich/England

Georgia Stanway thrived at Bayern Munich last season following her move from Manchester City. She excelled in midfield as the German giants won the Frauen-Bundesliga, with her winning penalty against Wolfsburg a crucial moment in her team’s season.

The 24-year-old was also excellent for England as they reached the final at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

16 Salma Paralluelo: Barcelona/Spain

At 19-years-old, Salma Paralluelo was one of the breakout young talents at the 2023 Women’s World Cup. She came up clutch for her country on a couple of occasions, scoring against the Netherlands in the quarter-final and Sweden in the semi-final. The winger is now a current world champion at under-17, under-20 and senior level.

Paralluelo was eased into a talented Barcelona side last season, winning Liga F, the Spanish Super Cup and the Women’s Champions League.

15 Olga Carmona: Real Madrid/Spain

Olga Carmona was a key player for Spain in the latter stage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup. She scored an 88th minute winner against Sweden in the semi-final, before getting the final’s solitary goal to give Spain a historic world title.

Carmona also impressed for Real Madrid as the team fell just short of clinching a historic title. The side finished as Liga F runners-up to Barcelona and lost the final of the Copa de la Reina to rivals Atlético.

14 Patri Guijarro: Barcelona

Patri Guijarro is one of the most underrated players in women’s football, but her performance in the Women’s Champions League final saw her begin to gain the recognition she deserved. The 25-year-old scored twice to bring the score level after Barcelona went 2-0 down to Wolfsburg.

Unfortunately, Guijarro’s standing in the Ballon d’Or Féminin will be impacted by her brave decision to withdraw from the Spanish women’s national team due to a dispute with the country’s football governing body.

13 Millie Bright: Chelsea/England

Millie Bright was a rock in defence for Chelsea as they won a domestic double, including a fourth consecutive WSL title. She then captained England to the final at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

The importance of the 30-year-old was highlighted when she missed the end of the season with injury, with both Chelsea and the Lionesses looking shaky in defence without her.

12 Sophia Smith: Portland Thorns/United States

Sophia Smith is currently leading the race for the NWSL’s Golden Boot, having scored 11 goals for the Portland Thorns so far. She also won the league’s MVP award for the 2022 season, the end of which falls into the eligibility period for the 2023 Ballon d'Or Féminin.

Smith really impressed in the United States’s opening match of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, scoring twice against Vietnam. But she struggled to inspire her country in their remaining matches, with the four-time world champions crashing out in the round of 16. This could impact Smith’s chances in the Ballon d’Or Féminin standings.

11 Hinata Miyazawa: Mynavi Sendai/Manchester United/Japan

Hinata Miyazawa was the breakout star at the Women’s World Cup, scoring five goals for Japan as they reached the quarter-finals. The 23-year-old subsequently earned a move to Manchester United in the WSL.

Miyazawa is unlikely to receive the Ballon d’Or Féminin due to a quiet season at club level, but the young talent could well be nominated for the award again if she replicates her performances at the Women’s World Cup in England’s top flight of women’s football.