Arsenal's Ballon d'Or recognition is less about one award list than the size of the season behind it. The club finished top of the Premier League in 2025 with 85 points, won all 8 of their Champions League matches that year and conceded only 4 goals in that run. They then reached only their second Champions League final and first for two decades, before losing 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw after extra time.
Arsenal's season behind the nominations
That is why the Men’s Club of the Year nod and Mikel Arteta's Coach of the Year nomination feel earned rather than decorative. Arsenal won their first Premier League title for 22 years, and the European campaign gave the shortlist real substance. A club does not get taken seriously in these awards because of reputation alone, it gets there by stacking results across both domestic and continental football.
The league title ended a long wait. The Champions League run did the other half of the work, and the numbers are hard to argue with, even before the final was settled on penalties.
The European comparison around Arsenal
The shortlist also sits beside the usual heavyweight names. Paris Saint Germain won six trophies in the calendar year of 2025, while Bayern München claimed a domestic treble in Germany and their record-breaking 35th Bundesliga title. Barcelona are in that same conversation too, with reporters split on who should be seen as the strongest Champions League side.
Some of the external predictions still point in different directions. Matt Verri of standard.co.uk said, "No and no," when asked about PSG repeating and Arsenal going one better, while also predicting, "Arsenal will make it to the final again but suffer more heartbreak." Sam Tabuteau took the opposite view on the contenders, saying, "For me, though, the two clear favourites are Barcelona and Arsenal."
Arsenal's award case is stronger than a simple nod to a good year. It rests on 85 league points, a perfect 8-win European run and a final that reached penalties before slipping away. The Ballon d'Or awards will be held in London on October 26, and Arsenal will arrive there with a season that already changed how they are judged.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
