Excitement is building fast as this year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony draws closer. Here’s everything you need to know before the highly anticipated shortlists drop.

The countdown to the 70th France Football Ballon d’Or is officially on.

On Monday, October 26, football’s biggest names will gather in London, England, for a glittering ceremony crowning the best male and female player in the world.

The men’s winner will become the 70th champion in the award’s history, while the women’s winner will become only the eighth. Also set to be celebrated on the night are the best young talents, goalkeepers, clubs and coaches from across the past season.

But before the big night, fans first have to see the shortlists — and that wait is almost over.

The shortlists for every category will be revealed on September 8. Fans can catch the announcement first on Ballondor.com.

Here’s a breakdown of each category and how many nominees make the cut:

• Men’s Ballon d’Or — 30 players

• Women’s Ballon d’Or — 30 players

• Men’s Young Talent of the Year — 10 players

• Women’s Young Talent of the Year — 5 players

• Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year — 10 players

• Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year — 5 players

• Men’s Coach of the Year — 5 coaches

• Women’s Coach of the Year — 5 coaches

• Men’s Striker of the Year — 10 strikers

• Women’s Striker of the Year — 5 strikers

• Men’s Club of the Year — 5 clubs

• Women’s Club of the Year — 5 clubs

Once the shortlists go public, a global panel of specialist football journalists takes over the voting. This jury is made up of one journalist per country, drawn from the top 100 nations in the FIFA Men’s World Ranking and the top 50 in the Women’s equivalent.

Each journalist judges nominees against three core standards: individual performance and impact, team success and silverware won, and overall sportsmanship both on and off the pitch.

From there, every voter ranks their top 10 picks from the shortlist — awarding 15 points to their number one choice, all the way down to a single point for their tenth. Once every ballot is tallied, the totals decide who lifts the trophies on October 26.

The Ballon d’Or has called the elegant Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris home since 2019. But for its 70th edition, the ceremony is shifting to London — a tribute to the award’s very first winner, Sir Stanley Matthews.

Known as the “Wizard of Dribble”, Matthews represented everything admired about English football and remains one of the sport’s great ambassadors, making this year’s London setting a fitting nod to where it all began.

Matthews collected his original golden ball in a modest wood-panelled room at Blackpool Town Hall, where the town’s mayor even commissioned a commemorative china plate to mark the occasion. Charming as that was, this year’s ceremony in London is expected to be on an altogether grander scale.