The nominees for the 2025 Ballon d’Or award are out, with some of the biggest names in soccer in the running for what effectively serves as the global game’s worldwide ‘player of the year’ honor.
With soccer having literally hundreds of leagues worldwide and national-team play in competitions ranging from experimental friendly matches to do-or-die World Cup qualifiers, determining a single best men’s and women’s player in a calendar year is no easy task. The nominees for the Ballon d’Or are selected by staff from France Football magazine and L’Equipe, a French sports-focused newspaper, setting the field for voters from 100 countries that are FIFA members to pick the winner later this year.
In 2024, both versions on the Ballon d’Or went to Spanish players. Manchester City defensive midfielder Rodri was the men’s recipient, a surprise for a player in a less glamorous role, while Aitana Bonmatí won the women’s Ballon d’Or for the second time.
With the shortlist being assembled by journalists based in Europe, the list of nominees (perhaps unsurprisingly) skews towards players based on European clubs. All 30 nominees for the men’s Ballon d’Or play for European-based teams, with nearly one-third of this year’s list coming from UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain.
On the women’s side, the global balance of power is rather different, with five NWSL players and one from Brazilian side Palmeiras nominated to go with 24 based in Europe. The gold medal-winning U.S. women’s national team saw two standouts nominated, with team captain Lindsey Heaps (who plays for French power OL Lyonnes) and defender Emily Fox (Arsenal) on the Ballon d’Or shortlist.
Here’s what to know about the 2025 Ballon d’Or, including every player nominated to win this year’s award:
Men’s Ballon d’Or nominees 2025
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain)
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
Désiré Doué (Paris Saint-Germain)
Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan)
Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund)
Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal)
Achraf Hakimi (Paris St-Germain)
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain)
Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)
Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan)
Scott McTominay (Napoli)
Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid)
Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain)
João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain)
Pedri (Barcelona)
Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)
Raphinha (Barcelona)
Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Fabián Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Vinícius Junior (Real Madrid)
Florian Wirtz (Liverpool)
Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Women’s Ballon d’Or Feminin 2025
Lucy Bronze (Chelsea)
Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona)
Sandy Baltimore (Chelsea)
Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal)
Klara Bühl (Bayern Munich)
Sofia Cantore (Washington Spirit)
Steph Catley (Arsenal)
Melchie Dumornay (OL Lyonnes)
Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current)
Emily Fox (Arsenal)
Cristiana Girelli (Juventus)
Esther González (NJ/NY Gotham FC)
Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona)
Patri Guijarro (Barcelona)
Amanda Gutierres (Palmeiras)
Hannah Hampton (Chelsea)
Pernille Harder (Bayern Munich)
Lindsey Heaps (OL Lyonnes)
Chloe Kelly (Arsenal)
Marta (Orlando Pride)
Frida Leonhardsen Maanum (Arsenal)
Ewa Pajor (Barcelona)
Clara Mateo (Paris FC)
Alessia Russo (Arsenal)
Claudia Pina (Barcelona)
Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (Chelsea)
Caroline Weir (Real Madrid)
Leah Williamson (Arsenal)