Nigeria and other African countries eligible to vote for Ballon d’Or 2025

France Football has introduced a reform aimed at aligning voting rights for the Ballon d’Or selection process with current football performance.

The refined criteria now grant voting eligibility only to journalists from countries ranked within FIFA’s top 100, a move designed to ensure that the award reflects perspectives from nations actively engaged in top-tier international football.

As part of this overhaul, 22 African countries have secured the right to vote in the next Ballon d’Or selection according to Vanguard.

This development is seen as a nod to Africa’s deepening talent pool and growing impact on both the international and club football scenes.

Eligible African Countries are Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria.

Others include; Tunisia, Cameroon, Mali, South Africa, DR Congo, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ghana, Gabon, Guinea, Angola, Zambia, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, Benin Republic, and Mozambique.

Meanwhile, the 69th Ballon d'Or ceremony, football's most prestigious individual award, will be held on Monday, September 22nd at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.