Only 20 African countries hold voting rights for this year’s Ballon d’Or award, governed by criteria that restrict the international journalist jury to the top 100 nations in the FIFA world rankings.

Under the 2026 regulations, the selection panel was finalized using the official FIFA rankings published on September 8. Each eligible journalist is tasked with selecting and ranking 10 players from the official 30-man Ballon d’Or shortlist.

Scoring follows a weighted system, where the top-ranked player receives 15 points, with descending points allocated down to one point for the tenth choice.

Africa’s 20 representatives span various global rankings, led by Morocco (6th), Senegal (18th), Egypt (24th), and Nigeria (26th). Other qualifying nations include Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Cameroon, Mali, South Africa, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Guinea, Gabon, Angola, Uganda, Zambia, and Benin.

The remaining 80 voting positions on the international jury are filled by journalists representing top-100 nations across Europe, Asia, North America, South America, and Oceania.