Ballon d’Or 2025 Set for September

The Ballon d’Or, the most prestigious individual award in world football, will now be held at a more suitable time for women players as well.

UEFA announced on Monday that the 2025 Ballon d’Or award ceremony will take place on September 22 in Paris. This year’s date does not clash with any mandatory training camps or matches for women’s national teams, so female players will be able to attend.

“To better recognize the achievements of women footballers, we’ve added three new categories this year,” UEFA said. The event is organized in partnership with France Football magazine, the original creator of the Ballon d’Or.

In the past two years, women players and coaches have criticized the timing of the awards. The previous ceremonies were held on October 30, 2023, and October 28, 2024, during women’s international matches and training camps. During those times, there were no men’s Champions League or international games, but women’s matches were still going on.

This year, September 22 is during an international break when there are no matches for both men and women. This gives all players a free week, making it easier for them to attend the ceremony.

Last year, both the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or winners were from Spain. Rodri, a midfielder from Manchester City, and Aitana Bonmatí, a playmaker from Barcelona, won the awards. Aitana won the women’s award for the second year in a row.

For the first time, the women’s category will include three new awards:

• Best young player
• Best goalkeeper
• Top scorer (most goals for club and national team combined)

UEFA also said that the list of nominees for the 2025 Ballon d’Or will be announced in August.