22.09.25

L’Équipe and Ringier Sports Media Group partner to digitize the Ballon d’Or® with Sportal365 and Fans United

The Ballon d’Or®, football’s most prestigious individual award, is being redefined for the digital age. Groupe Amaury, the owner of the Ballon d’Or®, L’Équipe and France Football, has selected Ringier Sports Media Group (RSMG) as its technology partner to modernize the format and expand its reach to a global digital audience. Since 1956, the Ballon d’Or® has honored the best players in world football, with winners selected exclusively by a jury of international sports journalists from the TOP 100 FIFA-ranked countries. Starting in 2025, this format will be expanded for the first time to include public voting - an important step towards broader participation and global engagement. The technology behind this shift will be provided by RSMG.

The transformation is built on two core platforms: Sportal365 and Fans UnitedSportal365 is a modular, headless CMS developed specifically for digital sports content. It allows publishers to produce and distribute content efficiently across websites, apps and social platforms. Live data, standings, rankings, articles, videos and highlights can be integrated seamlessly in multiple languages and fully customizable. Built in sports specific AI features are now significantly boosting editorial output and creativity.
Fans United complements this with an interactive fan engagement layer. It is a leading provider of fan engagement solutions designed to revolutionize the sports and entertainment industry. The platform offers a wide range of interactive features that enable content creators and publishers to connect with their fans on a deeper level fostering engagement, loyalty and revenue growth.

Together, they will support the new global public vote and strengthen the connection between the Ballon d’Or® and its audience. They enable fans to take part in the process – not just as viewers but as participants. The Ballon d’Or® is evolving from a one-night ceremony into a year-round digital platform – multilingual, accessible and designed for a better user experience.

Rolf Heinz, CEO of L’Équipe group: “The Ballon d’Or® stands for excellence, independence, and relevance to fans around the world. By introducing public voting, we’re opening a new chapter without compromising credibility. Ringier Sports Media Group provides the technology and expertise to support that.”

Stilian Shishkov, Managing Partner of Ringier Sports Media Group and initiator of Sportal365 and Fans United: “Being selected as the digital partner for the Ballon d’Or® is an important milestone for Ringier Sports Media Group. It confirms the strength of our technology, but also the trust in our long-term strategy to combine leading media brands with scalable digital infrastructure. The Ballon d’Or® represents the very best in football and it has become a global benchmark far beyond the sport. Together with L’Équipe, we are building a platform that brings fans closer to the game and sets new standards for engagement in digital sport.”

Founded in 2022, RSMG combines leading sports media brands with international tech capabilities. It operates seven sports brands in seven European countries and reaches over 30 million sports fans per month. RSMG is investing strategically in digital sports media, with brands including sportal.bg, gsp.ro, A Bola, sport.sk, sportal.rs and Sportnieuws.nl, as well as a stake in the UK’s LiveScore Group, a joint venture with DPG Media in the Netherlands and a newly launched joint venture RSMG kicker Schweiz AG.

The new digital Ballon d’Or® platform has been launched ahead of the 69th award ceremony which will take place today in Paris. This partnership combines Groupe Amaury’s media heritage with RSMG’s digital capabilities, setting a new standard for the future of football’s most recognized individual honor.

Ballon d’Or® contact:
Communications Deputy Director
Solene Delobelle
[email protected]
+33 6 67 89 32 80

Ringier contact:
Ringier Corporate Communications
T +41 44 259 64 44
[email protected]

About Ringier Sports Media Group (RSMG)
Since its launch in 2022, RSMG merges top national sports media with innovative global tech. With 7 brands across 7 European countries, RSMG reaches more than 20 million fans with its platforms monthly – powered by more than 400 colleagues. Beyond its sports media brands, RSMG also operates its Content Managements System “Sportal.365” and maintains a strategic partnership with LiveScoreGroup. RSMG is continuously and strategically investing in sports media with the goal of achieving a prominent position through the consolidation of leading digital sports media brands. These brands currently include Sportal Media Group in Bulgaria with sportal.bg and Sportal365, gsp.ro in Romania, sportal.rs in Serbia, sportal.hu in Hungary, sport.sk in Slovakia, A Bola in Portugal and Sportnieuws.nl in the Netherlands. The strategic investment in the UK-based LiveScore Group in 2022 further underscores RSMG’s aspiration to build a leading European sports media player by 2025.

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