Orlando Pride, Marta and Banda Headline 2025 Women's Ballon d'Or Nominees
NWSL Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride, Marta and Banda Headline 2025 Women's Ballon d'Or Nominees

August 7, 2025 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Orlando Pride News Release


ORLANDO, Fla. - Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda and midfielder Marta have been nominated for the 2025 Women's Ballon d'Or, while the Pride has been nominated for Women's Club of the year, France Football announced today. It is the first time a team outside of Europe has earned three Ballon d'Or nominations in a single year.

"We are incredibly honored to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or Women's Club of the Year award alongside having two of our exceptional players, Barbra Banda and Marta, recognized as nominees for Women's Player of the Year," said Haley Carter, Orlando Pride Vice President and Sporting Director. "This triple nomination reflects the dedication, talent and hard work of our entire organization, from our players and coaching staff to our support team and fans. To see our club and players acknowledged at this level of international recognition is a testament to our commitment to excellence in women's football and our ongoing mission to elevate the women's game. We're proud to represent our community on this global stage."

Marta's Ballon d'Or nomination is the third of her career, which leads all NWSL players all-time. Last season, the 39-year-old captained the Pride to its first NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship titles. She was named a finalist for both the NWSL Most Valuable Player and NWSL Midfielder of the Year, along with landing on both the 2024 NWSL Best XI First Team and the 2024 FIFPRO Women's World XI. She finished the 2024 season with 11 goals across all competitions, which was fourth-most in the NWSL, the most amongst NWSL midfielders and the most goals she has scored in a single season since 2017. Earlier this month, Marta led Brazil to its ninth Copa América Femenina title, scoring twice in the Final.

Banda receives her second-ever Ballon d'Or nomination, which follows an NWSL-debut season in 2024 that saw her lead the Pride with 13 goals in regular season play-second-most in the league-while scoring in each of the Pride's playoff matches, including the lone goal in the NWSL Championship. She was named the NWSL Championship MVP and a finalist for the overall NWSL MVP award, while also being named to the 2024 NWSL Best XI First Team. The 25-year-old was also selected to the FIFPRO Women's World 11 and voted the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year in addition to receiving her first Ballon d'Or nomination last year.

The Pride are one of five teams (Arsenal, FC Barcelona, Chelsea, OL Lyonnes) nominated for Women's Club of the Year after a 2024 season in which the team won both the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship, while setting league records for most points in a season (60), wins (18) and clean sheets (13) in a season, along with setting a new record for the longest unbeaten streak in NWSL history (24 games). With today's nominations, the Pride now has the most combined Ballon d'Or nominations in NWSL history (7).

First awarded in 2018 by France Football, the Women's Ballon d'Or is considered one of the highest honors across the global game, recognizing players and teams who were deemed to have had the best performance over the previous season. The award winners will be announced during the Ballon d'Or gala in Paris on September 22.

The Pride returns to action this weekend against Racing Louisville FC at Inter&Co Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and the match will be broadcast live on ION. Tickets are available at Orlando-Pride.com.

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