The wait is finally over! Tonight, the winner of the 2024 Ballon d’Or Feminin will be announced. While the stakes are high among the 30 nominated players, the question remains: Will Emma Hayes and the USWNT’s recent Olympic gold triumph in Paris factor into the voting criteria? It‘s a valid question, considering how the voting guidelines and the process have transformed throughout the years, with the last change being made in 2022.

Well, in order to determine the answer, we shall first take a look at France Football’s rulebook. In the past, journalists based their selections on a player’s performance from January to December of the previous year, also taking career achievements into account. However, the voting process now primarily emphasizes individual performances during a single European season running from August to July.

Now the Paris Olympics, specifically the soccer game, ran from July 24 to August 10. Therefore, looking at the eligibility window, clearly, the Summer Games don’t fall under the voting criteria. Notably, the ‘Tripple Espresso’ a.k.a. the attacking trio of Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson, and Sophia Smith, as well as star goalie Alyssa Naeher and skipper Lindsey Horan are the key names to make the 30-player nominations. 

However, the sad reality is neither of these star players will be able to make the case for the Golden Ball with their medal. Instead, their last year’s domestic achievements will be taken into account. Even head coach Emma Hayes, who has been nominated for the Best Women’s Coach of the Year award, won’t be able to put ‘leading USWNT to their fifth Olympic gold medal’ on her resume for this year’s trophy.

The 47-year-old may flex her last season’s achievements with Chelsea ladies, leading the Blues to their fifth consecutive WSL title, as well as to the UEFA Women’s Champions League semifinal. This leads us to just one conclusion- neither of the USWNT players or their coach would be returning back from Thétre de Chtelet in Paris, France with a single trophy!

USWNT and Emma Hayes may return empty-handed from Paris this time!

That’s because it’s Aitana Bonmati, who has been backed as the favorite to win her second consecutive Ballon d’Or Feminin. The FC Barcelona forward who won the UEFA Women’s Champions League last year had a stellar season. However, it calls for her fellow Catalan teammates, Salma Paralluelo and Caroline Graham Hansen as one of the names to take the award.

Meanwhile, for the Best Women’s Coach of the Year, Barca Feminine manager Jonatan Giraldez is potentially backed as the favorite to lift the trophy. Aside from dominating Sonia Bompastor’s Lyon in the UWCL, his side also secured Liga F, the Copa de la Reina, and the Supercopa de Espana Femenina. This certainly makes him a clear frontrunner for this award.