Say Goodbye to the FIFA Ballon d'Or - New Format Announced
- Voting Changes: National team captains and coaches will no longer vote, with only journalists deciding the winner.
- Format Return: The Ballon d'Or will revert to its original format, before FIFA's involvement, with a larger pool of 30 nominees.
- FIFA Award: FIFA is expected to continue its own award for best player, using the current format and name.
Update: As expected, France Football has confirmed the changes it will make to the Ballon d'Or starting with the 61st edition.
- The winner will be elected by a panel of journalists from all parts of the globe, national team captains and coaches will be no longer eligible to vote
- Votes will be cast from a list of 30 candidates (currently: 23)
- The 'three finalists' will not be announced before the final ranking
- The winner and final ranking will be confirmed before the end of the year
The FIFA Ballon d'Or will be history from next year. France Football, the French magazine that created the original Ballon d'Or award and joined forces with FIFA in 2010, has announced that this agreement will not be extended beyond this year's award.
Ballon d'Or to Return to Original Format
France Football also confirmed that it would announce how the new Ballon d'Or will be awarded in next week's issue. It is expected that the award will return to the rules it had before being under FIFA oversight. This would mean that from the 2017 edition, to be awarded in early 2018, players and coaches would not be eligible to vote anymore, with a group of journalists deciding the winner of the Ballon d'Or award.
Since it merged with FIFA's World Player of the Year award in 2010, only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have won the Ballon d'Or. The importance and popularity of the award also rose significantly during that period.
It is expected that FIFA will continue to award the best player under the old name of the award, and likely with the same rules as the current FIFA Ballon d'Or.
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South Korea Forced to Change Away Kit Font Color for 2026 World Cup
South Korea have been forced to change the nameset color on their 2026 away kit to comply with FIFA equipment regulations. The original light green names and numbers, which were worn during the team's pre-tournament friendlies, have been replaced with navy for the 2026 World Cup.
The change was made to increase the visibility of the names and numbers from a distance. The original light green color did not provide enough contrast against the light purple and white camouflage-style pattern of the Nike away shirt, violating FIFA's strict rules regarding the legibility of player identification.
The updated navy nameset was debuted in South Korea's second match of the tournament, providing a stark contrast to the shirt's base design and ensuring full compliance with FIFA's visibility standards.
CD Numancia 26-27 Home, Away & Third Kits Released
Spanish club CD Numancia and their long-time technical sponsor Erreà have officially unveiled the club's new kits for the 2026-27 season. The launch celebrates a historic milestone, marking 20 years of uninterrupted partnership between the team and the Italian sportswear brand. To honor this two-decade collaboration, the new designs reinterpret the essence of the original kits from the 2006-07 season, when Erreà first began outfitting the Soria-based side.
The CD Numancia 2026-2027 home kit returns to the club's traditional deep red base with blue details, directly inspired by the 2006-07 template. It features a classic central shield placement, reviving a vintage aesthetic that defined the early days of the partnership. The away kit reverses this color scheme, utilizing a crisp white base with red and blue accents. Rounding out the set, the third kit introduces a clean black design with red and white elements that firmly connect to Numancia's identity.
Nike x G-Dragon South Korea 2026 World Cup Collection Debuted
In the recent match between South Korea and Mexico, the South Korean players wore special anthem jackets and pre-match shirt from a lifestyle collection created in collaboration with global star G-Dragon.
Black/Green Nike Mercurial Superfly 11 Boots Spotted
In the opening match between Haiti and Scotland, left-back Martin Expérience was spotted wearing the Nike Mercurial Superfly 11 boots in a black/green colorway. It is expected to be released soon.
Livingston FC 26-27 Home Kit Released
Livingston FC have officially unveiled their new 2026027 home kit, made by Joma.
The new Joma Livingston FC 2026-27 home shirt features a dominant amber-yellow colorway and a large polo collar. The jersey also incorporates subtle embossed patterns that add a refined touch to the design.
Hibernian FC 26-27 Home Kit Released
Hibernian FC have officially unveiled their new 2026-27 home kit and simultaneously announced a partnership with Reebok, replacing Joma as the club’s kit supplier.
The new jersey features a dark green base, complemented by a polo collar and raglan sleeves with white accents. Both the collar and sleeve cuffs are white, finished with green trim.
World Cup 'Debut' Patch is Attached to the Boots
Midfielder Luis Romo (31) made a memorable impact in his FIFA World Cup debut, scoring the only goal in Mexico’s 1-0 victory over South Africa. The win also made Mexico the first team to secure a place in the knockout stage.
Making his first-ever World Cup appearance, Luis Romo naturally had the honor of wearing the World Cup “Debut” Patch. Interestingly, however, he chose to attach it to his Tiempo Maestro boots rather than wear it on his shirt sleeve like most other players.
