The awards were given out in Zürich on 7 January 2013,[1] with Lionel Messi winning a record fourth consecutive Ballon d'Or.

The gala ceremony was hosted by former Ballon d'Or winner Ruud Gullit and broadcast journalist Kay Murray of Real Madrid TV and Fox Soccer.

[4][5] There were three voters per FIFA member federation, one journalist and the coaches and captain of the national men's team.

[6] This was cut to a set of three "finalists" – Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Cristiano Ronaldo – on 29 November 2012.

[13] The voting system used was the same as that of the men's award (see above), with coaches and captains of women's national teams and persons from the media making public top-three selections.