This year’s Ballon d’Or award ceremony will take place on September 22 in Paris, and for the first time, men and women will receive an equal number of awards, the organisers have announced.
The event, which honours the best footballers in the world, will be held at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France. This was revealed in a joint statement by France Football magazine and UEFA on Monday.
According to the organisers, new award categories have been added for female players. These include awards for the best women’s goalkeeper, best young women’s player, and top women’s scorer for club or national teams.
With the new additions, there will now be six awards for male players and six for female players, making the ceremony more balanced than ever before.
An extra award, called the Socrates Award, will also be presented. This prize honours players who take part in charity or community projects. It is open to both men and women.
The full list of nominees will be announced in early August.
Last year, Manchester City midfielder Rodri won the men’s Ballon d’Or, while the ceremony faced some drama after Spanish club Real Madrid boycotted the event. The club was reportedly unhappy that their Brazilian forward, Vinicius Junior, was not chosen for the top prize.
This year’s ceremony is expected to be more inclusive and competitive as fans await the list of nominees and eventual winners.
