Starting in 2024, UEFA will play a big role in the Ballon d’Or. They will work with the French television company Groupe Amaury to help put together the event.
The 2023 ceremony saw Lionel Messi win his eighth award as the best male footballer. Aitana Bonmati, winner of the World Cup with Barcelona, won the award for best female footballer for the first time.
Jude Bellingham won the Kopa Trophy as the best player under 21 years old. Erling Haaland won the Gerd Muller Trophy as the player with the most goals during the year. After winning an unprecedented three trophies, Manchester City was also named the best men’s team.
Next year, though, the awards will be different. There will be two new categories, and UEFA will have a new role.
What will UEFA do at the Ballon d’Or in 2024?
UEFA and Groupe Amaury, the company that owns the current event organizers France Football, will work together to put on next year’s Ballon d’Or.
The Ballon d’Or name will still belong to Groupe Amaury, and the vote method will stay the same. However, UEFA will help sell the event and use its “football expertise” to make the presentation better than ever.
According to UEFA, the relationship will help the awards become more prestigious and known around the world, while also bringing the football community together and encouraging them to work together.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said: “For almost 70 years, the Ballon d’Or has stood as the most prestigious individual accolade in the world of football and is a testament to the extraordinary skill, dedication, and impact of the game’s legends and their enduring mark on the sport’s history.”
What will be new about the Ballon d’Or in 2024?
Although the Ballon d’Or is being run differently, there won’t be any big changes to the awards event next year. Instead, there will be two brand-new main categories.
There will be new awards for the best teachers in both men’s and women’s football. These awards may also go to the managers of the teams that win the best men’s and women’s clubs of the year.
With the exception of those two new award categories, it doesn’t look like any other changes will be made to next year’s event. However, that could change as the year goes on.
