Ballon d’Or 2026: Arsenal and PSG Make Men’s Club of the Year
The organizers of the Ballon d’Or have officially unveiled the five nominees for the 2026 Men’s Club of the Year Trophy. This year’s shortlist features a diverse mix of European heavyweights and global contenders. They include Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Bodø/Glimt, Flamengo, and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
The announcement follows the publication of updated tournament regulations on September 7, 2026, which clarify exactly how the best men’s and women’s clubs are evaluated and chosen regardless of their domestic leagues.
The Evaluation Criteria and Voting Process
According to the newly published guidelines, the reference period for the 2026 awards covers the entirety of the previous football season, spanning from August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026.
Under Article 4 of the updated rules, the Club of the Season Trophies are judged on a holistic set of criteria. The international jury will consider the quality of play, trophies won, memorable victories, results that exceeded pre-season expectations, and adherence to respect and fair play.
The voting infrastructure is broken down as follows:
The Jury (Article 5): The Men’s Club of the Year is decided by an international jury of specialized journalists who also vote on the men’s Ballon d’Or.
The Shortlist (Article 6): The five-club shortlist was compiled by the editorial staff of France Football and L’Équipe, a juror from the previous edition, and UEFA ambassadors Luis Figo and Fabio Capello.
The Points System (Article 7): Each juror selects two clubs in descending order of merit. A first-place vote awards 2 points, while a second-place vote awards 1 point.
The club with the highest cumulative points wins the trophy.
Tie-Breaking Procedures
In Article 8, the organizers outlined a strict tie-breaking protocol if two or more clubs finish even on points. Ties will first be broken by the total number of first-place mentions. If a tie persists, the jury will look at the number of individual players from that club (prior to any summer transfer window moves) who made the main Ballon d’Or shortlist. If the clubs remain deadlocked after this step, the final decision will be made directly by the editorial management of France Football.
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