2025 Ballon d’Or: Dembele Reclaims Top Spot, Palmer Drops Out of Top 3 in Latest Ranking 

It’s been nearly a week since the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup final was held at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, USA, and it is causing a shift in the 2025 Ballon d’Or conversation.

France’s Ousmane Dembele, who is the heavy favourite to win the award, was on the losing side as UEFA Europa Conference League winners Chelsea humiliated Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain.

Cole Palmer put himself in the conversation for the Golden Ball after scoring two goals and assisting the third during the 3-0 win over PSG.

Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe’s chances reduced after his outing in the USA, during which he missed the first group stages after he was hospitalised with gastroenteritis.

Dembele reclaims top spot in Ballon d’Or rankings

The France international dropped below Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal in most rankings after the Club World Cup final loss to Chelsea.

However, a recent ranking according to Touchline X has restored the former Borussia Dortmund man to the first place and backed him to win that award.

The top 10 features six of Paris Saint-Germain’s best performers in their historic treble-winning season.

1. Ousmane Dembélé

2. Lamine Yamal

3. Vitinha

4. Achraf Hakimi

5. Fabian Ruiz

6. Mohamed Salah

7. Raphinha

8. Cole Palmer

9. Nuno Mendes

10. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

How the Ballon d’Or winner is selected The nominees for the 2025 award will be announced on August 7, while the ceremony will be held on September 22 at Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris.

According to beIN Sport, France Football and L’Equipe’s editorial team selects the 30 nominees, while one journalist from each of the top 100 countries on FIFA rankings votes.

Each journalist selects a top five, based on their preference in line with the criteria. The top spot receives six points, while the rest receive four, three, two and one points.

The player with the highest vote wins the award, while tiebreakers are settled by the number of first places down to the sixth place, and if there’s still a tie, France Football decides the winner.

The Ballon has been awarded based on seasonal performance since 2022, and the 2025 award’s timeline is August 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025.

The Golden Ball voters focus on individual performance, big moments, team achievements and collective success. It also considers fair play and class on and off tbt pitch.