Country to Be Represented on International Jury as Football’s Prestigious Individual Award Heads to London.
Enugu Media Village (EMV), the Most Updated Online News Platform | September 23, 2026.
Nigeria has been confirmed among 20 African countries eligible to participate in the voting process for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, following its position among the 100 highest-ranked nations in the FIFA men’s world ranking used to constitute the award’s international jury.
The 2026 Ballon d’Or will be decided by an international jury made up of specialised journalists, with one representative from each of the 100 highest-ranked countries. The FIFA ranking in effect when the voting lists were published on September 8 was used to determine the countries represented on the jury.
Nigeria is currently listed 26th in the FIFA ranking, making it one of the African countries represented in the 100-member voting structure.
20 African Countries on the Ballon d’Or Jury
The African nations eligible to participate are Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Mali, South Africa, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Guinea, Gabon, Angola, Uganda, Zambia and Benin.
For the men’s award, each participating journalist will select and rank 10 players from the 30 nominees. The first choice receives 15 points, followed by 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point for the tenth selection. The accumulated points from the international jury will determine the final standings.
London to Host Historic 70th Edition
The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled for October 26 in London, marking the first time the prestigious ceremony will be held outside Paris. UEFA has confirmed the event as the 70th edition of the award.
The award recognises individual performances during the 2025–26 season, covering domestic and international competitions. The 2026 edition is particularly significant because the assessment period includes major international tournaments.
African football also has representation among the men’s nominees, with Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi and Senegal’s Sadio Mané included on the 2026 shortlist. Africa also has two nominees for the women’s award — Zambia’s Barbra Banda and Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga.
Nigeria’s inclusion in the international voting panel gives the country a direct role in the process through which football journalists from around the world will assess the performances of the 2026 nominees.
Enugu Media Village (EMV) remains committed to delivering timely, factual and engaging sports coverage while keeping readers informed on major developments in Nigerian, African and global football.
I can also turn this into a shorter breaking-news version, a more detailed sports feature, or an SEO-focused EMV version.