Nigeria Among 20 African Nations Voting for 2026 Ballon d’Or

Twenty African countries will participate in the voting for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, with Nigeria included in the international jury. The voting structure is determined by the FIFA men’s world ranking as of September 8, 2026.

France Football, the award's organizer, states that an international jury of one journalist from each of the 100 highest-ranked countries will select and rank 10 players from the 30 nominees. Morocco leads African representation at sixth in the FIFA ranking, followed by Senegal (18th), Egypt (24th), Nigeria (26th), and Algeria (29th).

Other African countries include Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Cameroon, Mali, South Africa, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Guinea, Gabon, Angola, Uganda, Zambia, and Benin. The voting system awards points based on rankings, with the ceremony set for October 26 in London, recognizing performances from the 2025-26 season.