Nigeria is among 20 African countries that will be represented in the voting process for the 2026 Ballon d’Or after securing a place among the world’s top 100 nations in the FIFA men’s ranking.

The composition of the international jury was determined by the FIFA men’s world ranking in effect when the voting lists were published on September 8, 2026, with one specialised journalist representing each of the 100 highest-ranked countries.  

Nigeria was ranked 26th in the FIFA ranking, making it the fourth-highest African nation on the list behind Morocco, Senegal and Egypt.

Morocco occupies sixth position globally, followed by Senegal in 18th, Egypt in 24th and Nigeria in 26th.

The other African countries represented on the 100-country jury are Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Cameroon, Mali, South Africa, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Guinea, Gabon, Angola, Uganda, Zambia and Benin.  

Each participating journalist will select and rank 10 players from the 30 nominees for the men’s Ballon d’Or.

The voting system awards 15 points to a journalist’s first choice, 12 to the second, followed by 10, eight, seven, five, four, three, two and one point respectively for the remaining selections.

The accumulated points from all ballots will determine the final standings for the prestigious individual award.  

France Football, which organises the Ballon d’Or, does not publicly release the complete list of individual voters before the publication of the voting charts after the ceremony.

However, several African journalists have already been publicly identified as members of the jury, including Samm Audu of Score Nigeria, Michael Oti Adjei of Ghana, Egypt’s Inas Mazhar, South African commentator Mark Gleeson and Morocco’s Mustapha Badri.  

The 2026 Ballon d’Or will recognise performances during the 2025–26 season, with the assessment period running from August 3, 2025 to July 19, 2026.

The period includes major domestic and international competitions, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations.  

The 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled for October 26, 2026, in London, where the winner of the men’s award will be announced. UEFA confirmed that the ceremony will take place at the London Palladium Theatre.  

Nigeria’s inclusion means an additional African voice will contribute to the final voting process for this year’s award, alongside representatives from the continent’s other highly ranked football nations.