Soccer’s most prestigious particular person prize, the Ballon d’Or, might be co-organized by Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) from subsequent 12 months, giving the European soccer physique a worldwide occasion that historically out-ranks FIFA’s personal world awards.
The deal comes seven years after a earlier partnership between the French organizers of the award and world governing physique FIFA ended.
From 2024, the Ballon d’Or awards and ceremony might be co-organized by UEFA and Groupe Amaury, which publishes France Football and L’Equipe.
France Football journal created the Ballon d’Or, which was first awarded in 1956 to England winger Stanley Matthews. For six seasons from 2010 the award was generally known as the FIFA Ballon d’Or, and ceremonies have been held on the planet governing physique’s house metropolis Zurich.
FIFA has run its personal Best Awards since 2016 and beforehand had an annual world participant of the 12 months award since 1991.
The newest version of the Ballon d’Or was held on October 30 in Paris with two World Cup winners taking the awards as greatest participant: Lionel Messi won the men’s prize for the eighth time and Aitana Bonmatí took home her first women’s award.
“UEFA will contribute its football expertise, market the global commercial rights and organize the annual awards gala,” it mentioned in a press release.
The relaunch will add new awards for one of the best coaches in males’s and ladies’s soccer.
“Together, UEFA and Groupe Amaury aim to enhance the stature and global reach of the awards while fostering a sense of unity and collaboration within the football community,” UEFA mentioned.
The deal will even see UEFA scrap its personal participant of the 12 months awards, which have historically been handed out in August, though it’ll hand out a participant of the season award for every of its membership competitions, such because the Champions League and Europa League.