Every year, the world’s top men’s and women’s football players vie for the coveted Ballon d’Or, the sport’s most coveted individual honor. The French magazine France Football is in charge of organizing the award, which has been given out since 1956.

The voting procedure and regulations for the Ballon d’Or will undergo many modifications in 2023. The biggest modification is that, instead of having up to 170 journalists in the men’s division as in the past, the jury will now consist of 100 journalists from the top 100 FIFA-ranked nations. The goal of this modification is to give the Ballon d’Or award greater impartiality and emphasize individual greatness.

Guidelines

The main guidelines for the Ballon d’Or 2023 are as follows:

• Any professional football player, regardless of nationality or league, is eligible to win this honor.

• When voting their ballots, the judges will take into account each candidate’s unique performances as well as their compelling and exceptional character.

• Less so than in past years, collective factors like championships won, the player’s class, and sense of fair play will also be considered.

• The player with the most points will win the award; the jury will vote for their top five players based on merit.

• The players will be ranked according to how many times they receive first-place votes in the case of a tie. The amount of votes for second place and third place will be taken into consideration by the tie-breaker if the tie still persists. A fresh vote is set up to choose a winner amongst the tied participants if the tie persists.

Voting procedures

The following will be the method of voting for the 2023 Ballon d’Or:

• Based on their results from the previous season, France Football will choose 30 players for a longlist.

• Following that, the 100-member panel of journalists will select their best five players from the shortlist.

• Following the tallying of the votes, the Ballon d’Or will be given to the player with the most points.

Members of the jury

One hundred journalists representing the top 100 FIFA-ranked nations make up the jury for the Ballon d’Or 2023. The France Football website has the complete list of jurors.

Possible victors

The following are a few possible Ballon d’Or 2023 winners:

• Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, is a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and is still regarded as one of the world’s top players. He enjoyed a fantastic 2022–2023 season, winning the Ligue 1 championship with Paris Saint–Germain and assisting Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

• Kylian Mbappé, a teenage sensation from France who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, is another contender for the Ballon d’Or. His 2022–2023 season was incredible, as he scored 50 goals across all competitions. In addition, he assisted France in making it to the FIFA World Cup final in 2022.

• Robert Lewandowski, a German-Polish native, was: Another elite striker in the running for the Ballon d’Or is Lewandowski. In the 2022–2023 season, he scored 50 goals in all competitions, which enabled Bayern Munich to win the Bundesliga.

• Karim Benzema, a striker who plays for Real Madrid and is from France, is another contender for the Ballon d’Or. He enjoyed an incredible 2022–2023 season, leading Real Madrid to the Champions League and La Liga crowns while scoring 44 goals across all competitions.

In summary

One of the football world’s most awaited honors is the Ballon d’Or 2023. It will be fascinating to see who wins the prize with the revised voting procedures and judges. There will be strong competition throughout, with Messi, Mbappé, Lewandowski, and Benzema all deserving of a spot in the final.