The organizers of the 2026 Ballon d’Or have explained how a winner will be determined if two players finish with the same number of points in the voting for football’s prestigious individual award.
According to the official regulations published on the Ballon d’Or website, a tie will be resolved by comparing the number of first-place votes received by each player. If they remain level, second-place votes will be considered, followed by third-place votes and subsequent rankings until the tie is broken.
Article 8 of the regulations outlines the procedure for separating players who finish with the same total points.
Under the voting system, each member of the international jury selects 10 players from a shortlist of 30, ranking them in order of merit. The players receive 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point respectively, with the award going to the player who accumulates the highest total.
For example, if two players finish with 500 points each, the player with more first-place votes will win. If they also have the same number of first-place votes, the number of second-place votes will determine the winner, with the process continuing through the subsequent rankings if necessary.
Article 9 provides a further safeguard, stating that any dispute arising from the voting process will be settled by the editor-in-chief of France Football, the award’s organiser.
The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled to take place in London on October 26, when the winners of the men’s and women’s awards and other categories will be announced.
The 2026 edition marks the 70th edition of the Ballon d’Or, organised annually by France Football, with the ceremony co-organised with UEFA.
