Ballon d'Or Ceremony to Honor World's Best Soccer Players on Oct. 28 in Paris

Soccer Football - Europa League - Round of 16 draw - Nyon, Switzerland - February 28, 2020 General view of the UEFA logo at UEFA Headquarters before the draw REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Soccer Football - Europa League - Round of 16 draw - Nyon, Switzerland - February 28, 2020 General view of the UEFA logo at UEFA Headquarters before the draw REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
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Ballon d'Or Ceremony to Honor World's Best Soccer Players on Oct. 28 in Paris

Soccer Football - Europa League - Round of 16 draw - Nyon, Switzerland - February 28, 2020 General view of the UEFA logo at UEFA Headquarters before the draw REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Soccer Football - Europa League - Round of 16 draw - Nyon, Switzerland - February 28, 2020 General view of the UEFA logo at UEFA Headquarters before the draw REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

The most prestigious individual awards ceremony in world soccer, the Ballon d’Or, will be held in Paris on Oct. 28, the event’s new organizer UEFA said Thursday.
Nominations will be announced Sept. 4, letting voters factor in the European Championship and Copa America in men’s soccer and Paris Olympics tournament in the women’s game.
Real Madrid players Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham and Toni Kroos are likely to poll strongly after leading the team to the Champions League and La Liga titles. Kroos will end his career after playing at Euro 2024 for Germany and never finished in the top three of a Ballon d'Or vote.
Barcelona retained its Women's Champions League title with past Ballon d'Or winners Aitana Bonmatí and Alèxia Putellas scoring in the final against Lyon.
Voters are expected to consider players’ individual performance, then their team’s performance and also fair play, The Associated Press reported.
Monthly magazine France Football first presented the Ballon d’Or for men in 1956 and added a women's prize in 2018. UEFA is now the magazine’s partner to help market the event and organize the ceremony in a theater in central Paris.
Lionel Messi and Bonmatí won the best player awards last year on the back of their recent World Cup wins.
New awards for the 2023-24 season include best men's and women's coach.



FIFA Suspends Argentina Goalkeeper for 2 Matches in World Cup Qualifying

Argentina's goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez holds a ball while warming up prior to a qualifying soccer match against Colombia for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at the Metropolitano Roberto Melendez stadium in Barranquilla, Colombia, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Argentina's goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez holds a ball while warming up prior to a qualifying soccer match against Colombia for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at the Metropolitano Roberto Melendez stadium in Barranquilla, Colombia, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
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FIFA Suspends Argentina Goalkeeper for 2 Matches in World Cup Qualifying

Argentina's goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez holds a ball while warming up prior to a qualifying soccer match against Colombia for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at the Metropolitano Roberto Melendez stadium in Barranquilla, Colombia, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Argentina's goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez holds a ball while warming up prior to a qualifying soccer match against Colombia for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at the Metropolitano Roberto Melendez stadium in Barranquilla, Colombia, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Argentina's soccer association (AFA) said on Friday that FIFA suspended goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez for two matches of South American World Cup qualifying in October.
The decision rules out the 32-year-old from official games in the round-robin competition against Venezuela and Bolivia on Oct. 10 and 15.
AFA said in a statement that FIFA's disciplinary commission sanctioned Martínez due to incidents in two World Cup qualifying matches against Chile and Colombia earlier this month. The soccer body did not describe which incidents led to the punishment, The Associated Press reported.
Martínez made an obscene gesture after his team's 3-0 win against Chile by holding the Copa America trophy close to his genitals, as he did after the South American team lifted the World Cup title in Qatar in the end of 2022.
Later, he slapped a local cameraman after Argentina's 2-1 defeat against Colombia in Barranquilla.
Argentina's soccer body said it “absolutely disagrees” with FIFA's decision.
Argentina leads South American World Cup qualifying with 18 points after eight games, followed by Colombia (16) and Uruguay (15).