The men's and women's Ballon d'Or will be awarded on Monday, October 28 in Paris, with the most elite players in world football vying to be named the best.
The men's Ballon d'Or was first awarded in 1956 and was originally voted by journalists around Europe, with only European-born players eligible, but has since been expanded to include players of all nationalities. The women's prize was introduced in 2018.
The awards show will also feature awards for the best men's under-21 player, best goalkeeper, and club and coach of the year - and the whole thing will be available to watch live.
How to watch the 2024 Ballon d'Or awards show
The ceremony begins at 8:45pm French time (7:45pm in the UK) and will be available to watch on the L'Equipe website and on their YouTube channel.
Jude Bellingham, Rodri and Vinicius Jr are tipped as the leading contenders for the men's award, while the women's award is likely to be contested by reigning holder Aitana Bonmati, Caroline Graham Hansen and Kadidiatou Diani.
Lionel Messi won the men's Ballon d'Or for a record eighth time last year, with the award recognising the work done by each player from the August year's August to the most recent July - which last year included the 2022 World Cup.
We are guaranteed a first-time winner of the men's award this year, however, with neither Messi nor long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo included on the 30-man shortlist. Karim Benzema and Luka Modric are the only two other players to win the award since 2007, and are not among the nominees either.
The men's award is voted for be 100 journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA world rankings, plus three jurors including Didier Drogba and two more journalists. For the women's award, the panel is halved.
Each juror gives their top ten, with points awarded based on their ranking: 15 for first place, then 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and - you guessed it - 1. The players with the most points get the awards. If there's a draw, the player with the most first place votes gets the award.
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The Kopa Trophy for best under-21 was introduced in 2018 and has since been won by Kylian Mbappe, Matthijs De Ligt, Pedri, Gavi and Bellingham. The Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper was added the following year, with Alisson, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Thibaut Courtois and Emiliano Martinez taking it home.
The Gerd Muller Trophy for best striker is in its fourth year and has previously been won by Robert Lewandowski (twice) and Erling Haaland. This year will be the first time a men's and women's coach of the year award will be handed out.
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