The annual Ballon d'Or ceremony takes place this evening on Monday, October 28 in Paris, as football's biggest stars from the men's and women's game come together to celebrate the crème de la crème. For the first time, the awards ceremony is being organised by UEFA and not FIFA - with assistance from Groupe Amaury, owner of media outlet France Football.
Lionel Messi collected his eighth Ballon d'Or prize in 2023, Aitana Bonmati of Barcelona was crowned winner of the women's award. But for the first time since 2003, there is no place on the list for Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
In addition to handing out the most prestigious individual award in world football, nominees will be competing for other trophies during the evening.
Express Sport gives you the lowdown on everything you need to know about the 2024 Ballon d'Or awards.
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How does voting for the 2024 Ballon d'Or work?
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.
Each juror selects 10 players in descending order of merit, with the points attributed as 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and one respectively. The Ballon d'Or will be presented to the player with the highest number of points.
In case of a tie, players are separated by the number of first-place votes. In the unlikely event that there is still a tie, it then moves on to the number of second-place votes and so on until there is a clear winner.
How are the 2024 Ballon d'Or nominees chosen?
The Ballon d'Or rewards the best male and female players in the world "without distinction of championship or nationality". The voting criteria relates to three different areas: individual performances, decisive and impressive character; team performances and achievements; and class and fair play.
The reference period for all awards covers the entire season, from August to the following August. That also allows international competitions such as Euro 2024, Africa Cup of Nations, Copa America and the Olympics to be included.
In September, the 30-player shortlist was announced after consultation between an international jury of sports journalists, with one representative per country from the top 100 in the FIFA rankings.
The list was compiled with input from the editorial staff of France Football and L'Équipe, the best juror from the previous edition – Costa Rica for the men's Ballon d'Or, South Africa for the women's Ballon d'Or – and UEFA ambassadors Luis Figo and Nadine Kessler.
What are the 2024 Ballon d'Or voting categories?
All eyes will be the men's and women's Ballon d'Or prize, which is the most anticipated of the awards on the night. But it's not the only area where players can win.
Nominees for the Yashin Trophy, awarded to the best goalkeeper of the past year, the Gerd Muller Trophy for the best striker, and Socrates Award - given to the footballer who has undertaken the best humanitarian work - have already been announced.
The Kopa Trophy will be given to the best young player under the age of 21, while the Coach of the Year of a men's team and of a women's team will be named during the ceremony.
