Ballon d'Or 2022 winners, rankings, final awards results as Karim Benzema, Alexia Putellas take top prize

The wait is over. Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema won his first career Ballon d'Or on Monday, October 17, becoming the second oldest player to win the award at age 34 and the oldest since Englishman Stanley Matthews who won the very first Ballon d'Or in 1956 at age 41.

The Frenchman was rewarded for a magical 2021/22 season in which his team won both Spain's La Liga and the UEFA Champions League and he finished as the top scorer in both competitions. He also won the UEFA Nations League with France.

It had been a foregone conclusion for months that Benzema would win the award as best player in the world given there was realistically no other player who came close to his achievements and trophy haul. He totaled 44 goals for Real Madrid and another six for France in 2021/22. 

Despite sitting out the last few months due to an ACL tear in her left knee suffered in July, Barcelona star Alexia Putellas became the first woman to claim back-to-back Ballon d'Or trophies, fighting back tears in her acceptance speech. She admitted she didn't think the Ballon d'Or would have been possible after missing out on the Euros with Spain.

Another Barcelona player took the Under-21 Player of the Year as Gavi succeeded teammate Pedri for the award crowning the best young men's player. Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois was named goalkeeper of the Year, taking the Yashin Trophy.

Manchester City claimed the Club of the Year with six total Ballon d'Or finalists named, while Sadio Mane was recognized with the first Socrates Award designed to honor gestures of solidarity by players. Mane also finished second in the Ballon d'Or voting, falling just short of completing a quadruple of trophies with Liverpool and leading Senegal to an Africa Cup of Nations title as well as a World Cup finals berth.

In the wake of Lionel Messi's controversial Ballon d'Or victory in 2021, the 2022 edition of the award saw organizers France Football make several changes to the voting process, including a reduction in the pool of media voters and modifications to the criteria used to judge players.  For the first time, finalists were judged on the European club season (August to July) and not based on the calendar year. Also, career achievements were no longer a factor to be weighed by voters.

MORE: Which Real Madrid players have won the Ballon d'Or?

Ballon d'Or awards list

There were a total of seven awards that were handed out on Monday. The Gerd Muller Trophy and Club of the Year were awarded for the first time in 2021.

• Men's Ballon d'Or (Player of the Year): Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
• Women's Ballon d'Or (Player of the Year): Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
• Kopa Trophy (Best Under-21 men's player): Gavi (Barcelona)
• Yashin Trophy (Best men's goalkeeper): Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
• Gerd Muller Trophy (best striker): Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
• Socrates Award (recognizing player acts of solidarity): Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich)
• Club of the Year (club with most Ballon d'Or nominees): Manchester City

Ballon d'Or final results (Men)

Karim Benzema became the fifth Frenchman and first since Zinedine Zidane in 1998 to win the Ballon d'Or. It was Zidane who presented him the trophy in Paris.

FinalRank	Name	Position	Club	National Team
1.	Karim Benzema	FW	Real Madrid	France
2.	Sadio Mane	FW	Liverpool /Bayern Munich	Senegal
3.	Kevin De Bruyne	MF	Man City	Belgium
4.	Robert Lewandowski	FW	Bayern Munich /Barcelona	Poland
5.	Mohamed Salah	FW	Liverpool	Egypt
6.	Kylian Mbappe	FW	PSG	France
7.	Thibaut Courtois	GK	Real Madrid	Belgium
8.	Vinicius Jr.	FW	Real Madrid	Brazil
9.	Luka Modric	MF	Real Madrid	Croatia
10.	Erling Haaland	FW	Man City	Norway
11.	Son Heung-min	FW	Tottenham	South Korea
12.	Riyad Mahrez	FW	Man City	Algeria
13.	Sebastien Haller	FW	Ajax /B. Dortmund	Ivory Coast
14.	Fabinho	MF	Liverpool	Brazil
	Rafael Leao	FW	AC Milan	Portugal
16.	Virgil van Dijk	DF	Liverpool	Netherlands
17.	Casemiro	MF	Real Madrid /Man United	Brazil
	Dusan Vlahovic	FW	Fiorentina /Juventus	Serbia
	Luis Diaz	FW	Porto /Liverpool	Colombia
20.	Cristiano Ronaldo	FW	Man United	Portugal
21.	Harry Kane	FW	Tottenham	England
22.	Trent Alexander-Arnold	DF	Liverpool	England
	Phil Foden	FW	Man City	England
	Bernardo Silva	MF	Man City	Portugal
25.	Joshua Kimmich	MF	Bayern Munich	Germany
	Mike Maignan	GK	AC Milan	France
	Antonio Rudiger	DF	Chelsea /Real Madrid	Germany
	Joao Cancelo	DF	Man City	Portugal
	Christopher Nkunku	FW	RB Leipzig	France
	Darwin Nunez	FW	Benfica /Liverpool	Uruguay

2022 Ballon d'Or final results (Women)

FinalRank	Name	Position	Club	National Team
1.	Alexia Putellas	MF	Barcelona	Spain
2.	Beth Mead	FW	Arsenal	England
3.	Sam Kerr	FW	Chelsea	Australia
4.	Lena Oberdorf	MF	VfL Wolfsburg	Germany
5.	Aitana Bonmati	MF	Barcelona	Spain
6.	Alexandra Popp	FW	VfL Wolfsburg	Germany
7.	Ada Hegerberg	FW	Lyon	Norway
8.	Wendie Renard	DF	Lyon	France
9.	Catarina Macario	MF/FW	Lyon	USA
10.	Lucy Bronze	DF	Manchester City(now Barcelona)	England
11.	Vivianne Miedema	FW	Arsenal	Netherlands
12.	Christiane Endler	GK	Lyon	Chile
13.	Alex Morgan	FW	Orlando Pride(now San Diego Wave)	USA
14;	Selma Bacha	DF	Lyon	France
15.	Millie Bright	DF	Chelsea	England
16.	Marie-Antoinette Katoto	FW	PSG	France
17.	Asisat Oshoala	FW	Barcelona	Nigeria
18.	Trinity Rodman	FW	Washington Spirit	USA
19.	Fridolina Rolfo	FW	Barcelona	Sweden
20.	Kadidiatou Diani	FW	PSG	France

2022 Kopa Trophy final rankings (Under-21)

FinalRank	Name	Position	Club	National Team
1.	Gavi	MF	Barcelona	Spain
2.	Eduardo Camavinga	MF	Real Madrid	France
3.	Jamal Musiala	MF	Bayern Munich	Germany
4.	Jude Bellingham	MF	Borussia Dortmund	England
5.	Nuno Mendes	DF	PSG	Portugal
6.	Josko Gvardiol	DF	RB Leipzig	Croatia
	Ryan Gravernberch	MF	Ajax	Netherlands
8.	Bukayo Saka	FW	Arsenal	England
9.	Karim Adeyemi	FW	Borussia Dortmund	Germany
10.	Florian Wirtz	MF	Bayer Leverkusen	Germany

2022 Yashin Trophy final rankings (Goalkeeper)

FinalRank	Name	Position	Club	National Team
1.	Thibaut Courtois	GK	Real Madrid	Belgium
2.	Alisson Becker	GK	Liverpool	Brazil
3.	Ederson	GK	Manchester City	Brazil
4.	Edouard Mendy	GK	Chelsea	Senegal
5.	Mike Maignan	GK	AC Milan	France
6.	Kevin Trapp	GK	Eintracht Frankfurt	Germany
7.	Manuel Neuer	GK	Bayern Munich	Germany
8.	Jan Oblak	GK	Atletico Madrid	Slovenia
9.	Yassine Bounou	GK	Sevilla	Morocco
10.	Hugo Lloris	GK	Tottenham Hotspur	France

Ballon d'Or live updates

All times ET

4:10 p.m.: Benzema invited his mom and his son on the stage and he lauded both Zidane and Ronaldo O Fenomeno for the inspiration they gave him. It was a mature acceptance speech and he's had months to prepare for this moment.

Benzema invites his mum and his son on stage ????#ballondor pic.twitter.com/gSWqtL6ZaO

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

3:55 p.m.: Karim Benzema wins it. It's Zidane who makes the announcement. And it's Zidane who hands him the trophy.

Benzema calls Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo O Fenomeno his idols, and he says he never gave up even when he was out of the French team for a period. There's an excellent video that follows.

Here is the image you've all been waiting for! Karim Benzema! #ballondor with @adidasFR pic.twitter.com/TJze0Km1s6

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

3:54 p.m.: Former Ballon d'Or winner and French World Cup legend Zinedine Zidane will be presenting the trophy.

3:52 p.m.: After the Manchester City acceptance speech featuring Kevin De Bruyne, Ederson, Ferran Soriano and Txiki Beguiristain, this event is about to close with the men's Ballon d'Or.

3:45 p.m.: Former Ballon d'Or winner Luis Figo is on the stage to award the club of the year. Real Madrid came in third place, Liverpool finished on top of them in second place despite losing to them in the Champions League final.

And the winner is Manchester City after winning the Premier League and reaching the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League. In addition the club had six nominees for the Ballon d'Or, including Lucy Bronze for the women's award.

3:35 p.m.: They're taking another short break and running through the highlights of all the men's players from No. 30 to No. 5.

3:30 p.m.: It's time for the Yashin Trophy for Goalkeeper of the Year in 2021/22. Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastien Haller, who is battling testicular cancer, presents the award.

And no surprise it's Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois who wins it. He was the Man of the Match in the UEFA Champions League final.

THIBAUT COURTOIS IS THE 2022 YACHINE TROPHY WINNER!#TrophéeYachine #ballondor pic.twitter.com/xRpkyaQkLI

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

3:28 p.m.: Ballon d'Or (men). We get the next three players in the ranking: Thibaut Courtois (No. 7), Kylian Mbappe (No. 6), and Mohamed Salah (No. 5).

3:26 p.m.: After a Lewandowski highlight reel, Didier Drogba puts him on the spot by asking him about Erling Haaland. (Was that really necessary?)

"I know that the new generation is also coming, but I am still here and I haven't said the last word yet."

3:20 p.m.: It's Robert Lewandowski who wins it for the second season in a row as the world's best striker in the 2021/22 season. He scored 57 total goals in that 2021/22 campaign (50 for Bayern and 7 for Poland).

Of course, he broke Gerd Muller's single-season Bundesliga record two seasons ago. He's emotional as he accepts the award, and thanks his ex-teammates at Bayern Munich.

Robert Lewandowski wins the Gerd Muller Award!

Here is his speech on stage ????#trophéeGerdMuller #ballondor pic.twitter.com/fncWH9sZfR

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

3:17 p.m.: After a pause in the show, it's time for the Gerd Muller Award to the top men's striker. Muller's wife and daughter are on the stage to present the trophy.

3:01 p.m.: Alexia Putellas wins the Ballon d'Or again. Second year in a row for the Barcelona and Spain star.

"On July 5 when I suffered my injury I didn't think this would be possible," Putellas said. "I hope the next time I speak it will be on the field."

The speech of Alexia Putellas, the back-to-back Women's Ballon d'Or winner ????#ballondor pic.twitter.com/o11kze5yoZ

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

2:56 p.m.: Women's Ballon d'Or. It's time to crown the best women's player on the planet. The five finalists: Bonmati, Mead, Kerr, Oberdorf and Putellas.

But before the award, 2004 Ballon d'Or winner and Ukrainian star Andriy Shevchenko, who will present the award, offered the following message followed by a lengthy applause.

"It's been a very difficult moment since the war started for all Ukrainian people. I'm so proud of how my country defends and fights for their freedom," Shevchenko said. "It's very important to remember the war is still going, but most important to stay beside of Ukraine and help."

Chevtchenko got a message for all of us... ????????????#ballondor pic.twitter.com/kfKFZ6VRjQ

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

2:53 p.m.: Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane wins it. The nicest person in all of football and Senegal's national team captain earns it. He's known for all the good he does back home in Africa, building schools and hospitals in his home country.

"I'm sometimes shy to talk about it but I'm happy to do what I can for our people and to make things better," Mane says up no the stage. And Didier Drogba urges players to follow in Mane's footsteps and make a difference.

Sadio Mané, after receiving the Socrates Award ????#ballondor @peaceandsport pic.twitter.com/b5NBhyMcgI

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

2:48 p.m.: Time for the Socrates Trophy. Socrates's brother Rai, who played for PSG in France and Brazil, is on the stage and will present this trophy for a show of solidarity by a player. It's the first year that this award is being presented.

2:45 p.m.: Men's Ballon d'Or: We find out that Erling Haaland (No. 10), Luka Modric (No. 9) and Vinicius Jr. (No. 8) are the next on the list.

2:43 p.m.: Barcelona's Gavi wins it. Two years in a row that a Barcelona player takes the Kopa Trophy. And he ends his acceptance speech with a "Vizca Barca."

2:39 p.m.: The Kopa Trophy is up first. Ronaldo O Fenomeno and last year's winner Pedri are going to present this award. Remember that Pedri didn't make the cut although he was still age eligible.

2:36 p.m.: Didier Drogba and Sandy Heribert are on the stage. Everyone is still getting over Bocelli's performance. Give everyone a few minutes.

They reminded everyone of the seven awards up for grabs. And now there's a video montage of the final 10 men's players who have yet to be ranked. We'll find out soon enough.

2:30 p.m.: The formal ceremony is underway with Andrea Bocelli singing Nessun Dorma. Class. We're getting the feels already.

This is more than football…

Ladies & gentlemen, please welcome @AndreaBocelli ????#ballondor pic.twitter.com/llHnSNrJnG

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

2:26 p.m.: The Ballon d'Or makes the grandest entrance of them all:

WHAT A NOISE! ????????

It’s just... Esteban Ocon bringing the Trophy! @alpinecars@AlpineRacing#ballondor pic.twitter.com/lldfIkAkN5

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

2:17 p.m.: The Barcelona team mobilise as a unit. Players from both men and women teams together.

FC Barcelona!

Family picture! #ballondor pic.twitter.com/vS62Zvlayc

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

2:00 p.m.: Tupac fan Karim Benzema paying homage:

Dreams are real pic.twitter.com/IpR8pxJGBu

— TC (@totalcristiano) October 17, 2022

Karim, Karim, Karim…

Karim Benzema is here! #ballondor pic.twitter.com/EYG0udOXhn

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

1:52 p.m.: Zinedine Zidane in the house. It'd be a nice touch if he were the one to present the trophy to Karim Benzema. Zizou was the last French player to win the honor in 1998.

ZINÉDINE ZIDANE… what to say?! ????#ballondor pic.twitter.com/SdZVpIbC9p

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

1:37 p.m.: A look at the hosts of tonight's ceremony of the 66th Ballon d'Or. It's football legend Didier Drogba (who never won a Ballon d'Or) and French journalist Sandy Heribert. The duo have hosted the last three ceremonies (2019, 2021, and now 2022).

Ladies and gentlemen, our hosts of the night @SandyHeribert and @didierdrogba ????#ballondor pic.twitter.com/XhIsx60GW2

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

Even if you don't speak French, you'll appreciate the behind-the-scenes look with the two hosts.

À l’occasion de la 66e cérémonie du Ballon d’or @francefootball, GQ est parti à la rencontre des deux maîtres de cérémonie : Didier Drogba et Sandy Heribert dans le but de leur soutirer quelques informations exclusives sur la cérémonie qui se déroulera ce soir. #BallonDor pic.twitter.com/0ZcSBiz9Np

— GQ France (@GQ_France) October 17, 2022

1:36 p.m.: More arrivals. It's time for Bayern's Sadio Mane and RB Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku. And Kevin De Bruyne brought the family.

Hey ????

Sadio Mané! #ballondor pic.twitter.com/iG92S4urw0

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

Christopher Nkunku is here in a city he knows very well! #ballondor pic.twitter.com/DUREtXnrOc

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

Welcome to Paris!

Kevin De Bruyne and his family! ????#ballondor pic.twitter.com/ck82NlUYvD

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

1:30 p.m.: No one will complain about watching a Karim Benzema hype video. It's his day after all. 

???????? Karim, El Nueve, Benzema :

[???? @Franc_Ysco]pic.twitter.com/BebW83cGef

— ????#BenzemaBallondOr (@RMadridFrench) October 17, 2022

1:17 p.m.: Great to see Andriy Shevchenko repping Ukraine at the Ballon d'Or. He won the trophy in 2004.

Chevtchenko ???????????? #ballondor pic.twitter.com/O9f4OHbP7w

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

1:14 p.m.: Players in tuxes. Arsenal's Bukayo Saka and the Three Amigos from Barcelona: Gavi, Lewa, and Pedri.

???? Lil Chilli???? Big vibe pic.twitter.com/TokRwJKQyl

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 17, 2022

Robert Lewandowski, Pedri y Gavi listos para la gala del Balón de Oro 2022. TRIDENTE CULÉ. #BallonDor pic.twitter.com/3NOrYYLJs0

— Invictos (@InvictosSomos) October 17, 2022

1:05 p.m.: Red carpet action begins in rainy Paris. Here's USWNT's Trinity Rodman, Dortmund forward Sebastien Haller, and Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp.

???? @trinity_rodman : « I can't believe i was nominated for the Ballon d'Or »#ballondor pic.twitter.com/1yWT8yj0tP

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

Sébastien Haller, ranked 13rd from this year! ????#ballondor pic.twitter.com/BWZColwgG4

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

Kevin Trapp and Izabel Goulart have arrived ????#ballondor pic.twitter.com/z9MlXdemyN

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

12:50 p.m.: Tottenham's Son Heung-min takes the No. 11 spot, which means the Top 10 will include (in alphabetical order): Benzema, Courtois, De Bruyne, Haaland, Lewandowski, Mane, Mbappe, Modric, Salah, and Vinicius Jr.

12:28 p.m.: How about Rafael Leao (No. 14) ranked ahead of his Portuguese teammate Cristiano Ronaldo (No. 20). The team achievements may have influenced this ranking since Leao's AC Milan won the Italian title.

The other eyebrow-raiser in this latest batch is Riyad Mahrez (No. 12) ranked way ahead of teammate Bernardo Silva (No. 12), who was so good (and important) for City last season. But production matters, and Mahrez found a way to rack up 24 goals and 9 assists in 2021/22, while Silva had 13 goals / 7 assists.

Equally ranked at the 14th place for the 2022 Ballon d’Or! @RafaeLeao7@acmilan#ballondor pic.twitter.com/p4T8zo956u

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

11:52 a.m.: Cristiano Ronaldo at No. 20 is a bit of a surprise. He had a solid goal-scoring season, but according to the new criteria the fact that his team didn't win anything may have hurt his chances to rank higher.

Ranked at the 20th place for the 2022 Ballon d’Or! @Cristiano@ManUtd#ballondor pic.twitter.com/omidUm8DQO

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

11:34 a.m.: Another five players and a handful of Englishmen on the list including Harry Kane, Phil Foden, and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Ranked at the 21st place for the 2022 Ballon d’Or! @HKane@SpursOfficial#ballondor pic.twitter.com/kkwe90Y1vd

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022

11:10 a.m.: They've dropped the first six names — these all tied for last place. And if the Liverpool vs. Man City this weekend wasn't enough to show you the talented Darwin Nunez needs plenty more work, this ranking makes it clear.

Mike Maignan and Christopher Nkunku being part of the bottom six is a bit of a surprise given their respective seasons (and that of their clubs). But the competition is fierce when you're among the top 30 players in the world.

11:00 a.m.: Interesting how serendipitous the last few months have been for Frenchman Karim Benzema. Winning the Champions League in Paris, and coming back to the city for the Ballon d'Or and potentially having Zinedine Zidane — France's last Ballon d'Or winner in 1998 — hand it to him.

???????? 5 months ago, Karim Benzema lifted his 5th Champions League at Stade de France with the captain's armband of Real Madrid.

Tonight, he will be crowned Ballon d'Or winner in Paris and will become the 1st Frenchman to win this trophy since Zinedine Zidane in 1998. #BallondOr pic.twitter.com/e5gac0oJfG

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) October 17, 2022

10:56 a.m.: Still no update on ranking reveal. But TopMercato.com is reporting that Karim Benzema is due an automatic one-year contract extension if he were to win the Ballon d'Or. Apparently the same happened with Luka Modric in 2018.

9:16 a.m.: More potential winners traveling to Paris? Beth Mead is a possible winner of the women's Ballon d'Or, while Bukayo Saka is a contender for the Kopa trophy as best Under-21 player.

Next stop: Paris! ????

???????????????????????????? @bmeado9???????????????????????????? @BukayoSaka87???????? @VivianneMiedema #BallonDor pic.twitter.com/zV6gkMORRo

— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) October 17, 2022

8:45 a.m.: A reminder that the first names on the men's Ballon d'Or ranking drop at 10:30 a.m. ET (3:30 p.m. UK). They'll start with No. 30 and work their way up to No. 11. They'll leave the Top 10 for the ceremony.

8:37 a.m.: Hope they left space in that plane for the trophies that are likely coming home. Karim Benzema is the popular pick to claim the Ballon d'Or, while Thibaut Courtois should win the Yashin trophy as best goalkeeper.

ESPN's Gustavo Hofman says Vinicius Jr was also set to travel at one point, but Real Madrid "opted not to release more players outside of the winners." 

???????????? ¡Rumbo a la gala del #BallondOr!✨ @Benzema✨ @thibautcourtois pic.twitter.com/7WEs50B74b

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) October 17, 2022

Who will win Ballon d'Or?

With pre-ceremony odds of -2500 (1/25 or 1.04), Karim Benzema is practically a shoo-in to win the 2022 Ballon d'Or.  

The following odds come courtesy of Canada-based Sports Interaction, who hung the following numbers in the lead-up to the event. It's nonetheless interesting to see the names of the three players who have the next best odds behind Benzema.

Player	Club (2021/22)	Nationality	Odds
Karim Benzema	Real Madrid	France	-2500
Sadio Mane	Liverpool	Senegal	+1049
Mohamed Salah	Liverpool	Egypt	+1223
Kylian Mbappe	PSG	France	+1748
Kevin de Bruyne	Man City	Belgium	+2184
Virgil van Dijk	Liverpool	Netherlands	+2621
Robert Lewandowski	Bayern Munich	Poland	+2621
Cristiano Ronaldo	Man United	Portugal	+3495

MORE: Which Real Madrid players have won the Ballon d'Or?

How does voting for Ballon d'Or work?

Voting for the Ballon d'Or was revamped following the controversial victory by Lionel Messi over Robert Lewandowski in the 2021 edition.

The goal of award organizers France Football was to present more clearly defined voting criteria and make voting more selective in order that the final award does not turn into a popularity contest. 

How finalists are determined

Awards organizers France Football generated the list of candidates for each award from three sources: 

• France Football and L'Equipe journalists
• Former great and Ballon d'Or ambassador Didier Drogba
• Media members whose 2021 voting ballot matched the final rankings

New Ballon d'Or voting process for 2022

There were a handful of changes to the voting process introduced for 2022. 

Media voters are now limited to a single media member from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings for men, and the top 50 nations from women's rankings. The belief is that this will ensure a more knowledgeable voter base given the importance of football in the country and the likelihood matches from around the world are available.

Voting criteria were updated to eliminate consideration for overall career performance and instead focus on three main factors:

1. Individual performance in previous season from August-July (no longer by calendar year);
2. Team success during the previous season;
3. Player behavior and fair play during the season in consideration.

What time is Ballon d'Or ceremony

The formal ceremony for the 66th edition of the Ballon d'Or will kick off at 8:30 p.m. local time (14:30 ET / 19:30 BST) at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France. But the red carpet coverage will kick off roughly 30 minutes before.

Award organizers France Football will begin unveiling the men's Ballon d'Or rankings four hours before beginning at 4:30 p.m. Paris time, as a way of building up the buzz for the event. They will leave the top 10 reveal for the formal ceremony.

Where to watch Ballon d'Or 2022

Only a few select countries, including Australia (SBS) and the USA (Paramount+), will have a local broadcaster carrying the show. The rest of the world can tune in to the live stream provided by France Football via the channels of French sister publication L'Equipe.

	Date	Time	TV channel	Streaming
Australia	Tue, Oct. 18	05:30 AEST	SBS	SBS On Demand
Canada	Mon, Oct. 17	14:30 ET	—	DAZN.com, DAZN YouTube
India	Tue, Oct. 18	00:00 IST	Sony TEN 2	SonyLIV app/site
Malaysia	Tue, Oct. 18	02:30 MT	—	L'Equipe site, YouTube
New Zealand	Tue, Oct. 18	07:30 NZST	—	L'Equipe site, YouTube
Singapore	Tue, Oct. 18	02:30 SST	—	L'Equipe site, YouTube
UK	Mon, Oct. 17	19:30 BST	—	L'Equipe site, YouTube
USA	Mon, Oct. 17	14:30 ET	—	Paramount+

Ballon d'Or live stream

Outside of those countries with a dedicated broadcaster, the rest can tune in via the YouTube channel and web site of France Football's sister publication L'Equipe.