Ballon d’or date announced | OneFootball

Ballon d’Or 2025 moves to avoid women’s internationals, with equal awards for men and women for the first time.

Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images

The 69th edition of the Ballon d’Or, football’s most prestigious individual award, will take place on Monday 22 September at the iconic Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.

For the first time since the women’s award was introduced seven years ago, France Football has scheduled the ceremony outside the international window for women’s football. The change means female nominees will no longer be forced to miss the event due to national team duties or rush from camp to attend.

UEFA and France Football have also introduced more women’s awards as they finally recognise that men and women are equal and, therefore, should receive the same trophies.

The 2025 awards will include the Men’s and Women’s Ballon d’Or, Men’s and Women’s Kopa Trophy (best young player), Men’s and Women’s Yashin Trophy (best goalkeeper), Men’s and Women’s Gerd Müller Trophy (top scorer in club/national team), Men’s and Women’s Johan Cruyff Trophy (best coach in club/national team), Men’s and Women’s Club of the Year, and Sócrates Award, presented by L’Équipe group and Peace and Sport, for solidarity actions or societal causes carried out by a committed champion.

Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images

The nominees will be announced at the beginning of August.

The Ballon d’Or honours the best male and female footballers in the world, irrespective of nationality or league, and is awarded based on three criteria:

The Ballon d’Or is awarded by an international jury of specialised journalists, with one representative per country, from the top 100 in the latest FIFA rankings (before the lists are published) for men and the top 50 for women.

While the Ballon d’Or remains the pinnacle of individual recognition in football, it has not been without controversy. Critics have long pointed to a lack of consistency among voters, with the men’s award often eluding deserving players and the women’s prize, on occasion, going to individuals with limited achievements throughout the season.