The race for the 2026 Ballon d’Or is gathering momentum, but behind the headlines, goals, trophies and star power lays a voting system designed to determine who truly deserves to be crowned the world’s best footballer.

With the 70th edition of the prestigious awards scheduled for October 26, organisers have clarified the criteria that will guide the international jury when it begins the final selection process.

The announcement is likely to intensify debate over what could become one of the most fiercely contested Ballon d’Or races in recent years.

Unlike popular perception, the award is not determined solely by goals scored, trophies won or a player’s reputation. The voting framework places three specific factors at the centre of the decision-making process: individual and decisive performances, collective achievements and trophies, and class and fair play.

The jury behind the decision

Once the nominees are announced, the final decision will be placed in the hands of an international jury made up of specialised football journalists.

For the men’s award, each of the top 100 nations in the FIFA Men’s World Ranking will have one representative on the panel.

The women’s award will follow a similar structure, with one journalist representing each of the top 50 countries in the FIFA Women’s World Ranking.

The arrangement gives the award a broad international dimension while ensuring that the final decision is based on votes from recognised football journalists rather than fans or players alone.

Each journalist will rank their preferred candidates, with points awarded according to their selections. The player who accumulates the highest number of points will emerge as the winner.

Performance could be the first major battleground

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The first criterion — individual and decisive performance — could prove particularly significant in a closely contested race.

It goes beyond simply counting goals or assists. The emphasis is on how influential a player has been, particularly in decisive matches and important moments.

That means performances in high-profile league fixtures, continental competitions and major international matches could carry substantial weight when journalists assess competing candidates.

A player who consistently changes the outcome of matches could therefore gain an advantage over a rival whose statistics may be impressive but whose influence in decisive moments is less pronounced.

Trophies matter, but they are not everything

The second criterion focuses on collective achievements and trophies won.

Success with a club or national team remains an important component of the Ballon d’Or assessment, meaning players competing for major domestic, continental or international honours could strengthen their claims.

However, the structure of the criteria suggests that winning trophies alone does not automatically guarantee the award.

A player’s individual contribution to those achievements will still have to be considered alongside his or her overall performance.

This distinction could become crucial if several nominees finish the season with major trophies but have different levels of individual influence.

Conduct enters the equation

Perhaps the least measurable of the three criteria is the requirement for “class and fair play” both on and off the pitch.

This means the award is not intended to recognise footballing ability in isolation. The conduct and sporting behaviour of nominees are also part of the assessment.

Discipline, respect for opponents, teammates, officials and the broader image of the sport could therefore influence how journalists rank closely matched candidates.

In a competition where statistical and trophy-based differences may be marginal, character and sportsmanship could potentially become a decisive factor.

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Why the 2026 race could be difficult to predict

The combination of the three criteria makes the 2026 contest particularly intriguing.

A player could dominate individually but fail to win major trophies. Another could collect silverware with his club while having a less outstanding individual season. A third could combine elite performances and collective success while also enjoying a strong reputation for sportsmanship.

The eventual winner will have to convince enough members of the international jury that his or her overall body of work stands above the competition.

That makes the Ballon d’Or less a simple statistical contest than a broader assessment of influence, achievement and character.

Dembélé and Bonmatí set the benchmark

The previous edition provides the immediate benchmark for the 2026 contenders.

France and Paris Saint-Germain winger Ousmane Dembélé won his first men’s Ballon d’Or last year, ending the ceremony as the leading candidate after the voting process.

In the women’s category, Spain and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí achieved another landmark by securing her third consecutive Ballon d’Or Féminin.

Their victories also underline the importance of combining individual excellence with team success when competing for the most prestigious individual award in football.

As the October 26 ceremony approaches, the central question will not simply be who scored the most goals or won the most trophies.

The real contest will be over which player can make the strongest case across all three pillars established by the organisers — decisive individual performance, collective success and sporting class.

And with journalists from around the world holding the final votes, the winner may ultimately be decided not by one spectacular statistic, but by the overall strength of the story each nominee can present to the jury.