UEFA will become a co-organizer of the Ballon d'Or

Starting from next year, the UEFA together with the publications France Football and L'Équipe will become the co-organizer of the Ballon d'Or.

UEFA has signed a contract with Groupe Amaury, which owns France Football and L'Équipe. Under this agreement, the French resource will retain ownership of the Ballon d'Or brand. France Football will continue to oversee the organization of the voting process, which will remain unchanged. UEFA will be responsible for the commercial rights and the organization of the award ceremony.

In addition, two new awards will be introduced, namely the best male and female coach of the year. Currently, France Football determines the winners in eight categories:

• Ballon d'Or (best player of the year)
• Women's Ballon d'Or (best female player of the year)
• Kopa Trophy (best young player of the year under 21)
• Yashin Trophy (best goalkeeper of the year)
• Muller Trophy (best goal scorer of the year)
• Socrates Trophy (for contributions to the social development of football)
• Men's Club of the Year (best men's team of the year)
• Women's Club of the Year (best women's team of the year)

It's worth noting that from 2010 to 2015, the ceremony was organized jointly with FIFA, and the voting involved not only journalists but also national team captains and coaches. However, in 2016, the parties went their separate ways, and the Ballon d'Or continued to be awarded by the French publication.

FIFA introduced a similar award, The Best, where the winners are chosen by national team captains and coaches.