Who are the favourites for the 2024 Ballon d'Or?

Aitana Bonmati (left), Vinicius Jr (centre) and Rodri (right) are all nominated at the 2024 Ballon d'Or awards

The world's best footballers will gather in Paris on Monday for the 2024 Ballon d'Or ceremony.

It will be the 68th edition of the award, which has been presented annually by French magazine France Football since 1956.

The Ballon d'Or award is widely recognised as the most prestigious individual accolade for footballers in both the men's and women's game.

While there are several categories at the ceremony, all eyes will be on who succeeds 2023 winner Lionel Messi in the men's category and whether Aitana Bonmati can again claim the top women's award.

When is the 2024 Ballon d'Or ceremony?

The ceremony takes place on Monday, 28 October at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris at 19:45 GMT.

Who are the nominees for the Ballon d'Or awards?

There are 30 nominees in both the men's and women's category.

In the men's category, six England players - captain Harry Kane, midfielders Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Declan Rice, and forwards Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer - have been nominated.

England-based players Ruben Dias, Emiliano Martinez, Martin Odegaard and William Saliba are also nominated.

It is the first time since 2003 that eight-time winner Messi and five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo have not been nominated.

In the women's category, England trio Lauren James, Lucy Bronze and Lauren Hemp are all up for the award.

There are six further nominees from the Women's Super League with Chelsea duo Sjoeke Nusken and Mayra Ramirez, Manchester City's Yui Hasegawa and Khadija Shaw, and Arsenal's Mariona Caldentey nominated.

How are the awards decided?

The awards are voted for by a jury of journalists from each of the top 100 countries in the Fifa men's world ranking.

Each juror selects 10 players in descending order of merit from the list of nominees.

Those 10 players are awarded 15, 12, 10, eight, seven, five, three, two and one point respectively.

The player with the most points is awarded the Ballon d'Or.

A full list of the rankings - from 30th to second - will accompany the announcement of the winner.

Who won last year's Ballon d'Or awards?

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi won the award for an eighth time in 2023.

In the women's Ballon d'Or, which has been running since 2018, Barcelona midfielder Bonmati was crowned for the first time.

Who is the favourite for the men's Ballon d'Or?

Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr is the clear frontrunner to win the award for the first time.

The 24-year-old scored 24 times and provided 11 assists in all competitions last season as Madrid won the La Liga title and a record-extending 15th Champions League.

The Brazilian scored in Madrid's 2-0 win in the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley in June.

One factor that could count against Vinicius is his performances with Brazil. He has scored just twice in nine appearances for his country this year and could not prevent their quarter-final exit to Uruguay in the Copa America.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri is Vinicius' closest challenger. The 28-year-old was instrumental in City's Premier League title victory last season - their fourth in succession - and was named player of the tournament as Spain beat England in the Euro 2024 final in June.

Vinicius Jr's club team-mate Jude Bellingham is another in contention following his stellar debut season with Real Madrid, where he scored 23 times in 42 appearances.

Who is the favourite in the women's Ballon d'Or?

Last year's winner Bonmati is the clear favourite to retain her crown.

The World Cup winner had another brilliant campaign for Barcelona, helping the club to their fifth straight Liga F title last term.

Bonmati scored in Barcelona's Champions League final win against Lyon in May and was named player of the tournament.

At international level, she strengthened her case for the award by leading Spain to the Uefa Nations League title, scoring the opener in a 2-0 win against France in February.

The main challenger for Bonmati's crown is her Barcelona colleague Caroline Graham Hansen.

The Norway winger top-scored in Liga F with 21 goals and provided 19 assists, while she was named in the team of the tournament following Barcelona's Champions League triumph.

Other contenders include Kadidiatou Diani, after she helped Lyon to the French league title, Barcelona forward and last year's third-place finisher Salma Paralluelo and Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson, after her four goals helped the United States to Olympic gold in Paris.

What other categories are there?

As well as the two main prizes, there are eight other awards up for grabs.

The Kopa Trophy, which was one by Bellingham in 2023, is awarded to the best player under the age of 21.

The Yashin Trophy is given for best goalkeeper, while there is a men's coach of the year award and a women's coach of the year award - which can be won by club or national team managers.

There is a club of the year trophy for both women's and men's teams, as well as a Gerd Muller trophy for the top scorer in the previous season and a Socrates award for humanitarian work.

How to follow the 2024 Ballon d'Or on the BBC

There will be live text coverage on the BBC Sport website and app.

Regular updates will also be provided on BBC Radio 5Live.