Barcelona defender inexplicably left out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Best XI

Barcelona defender inexplicably left out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Best XI Earlier today, FIFA officially released their World Cup Team of the Tournament, and the announcement has got fans on social media excited. Several of the tournament’s top performers have been rightfully included including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham. Nine of the eleven players, in fact, are from teams that qualified for the semifinals with five of them featuring in the final of the competition. There have, however, been some inexcusable exclusions. Injustice to Spain’s defence Of all the notable exclusions from the Best XI of the FIFA World Cup, the most notable one was the absence of Barcelona and Spain centre-back Pau Cubarsi. FIFA World Cup Best XI The young defender had a stellar campaign throughout the event and was part of the Spanish back-line that conceded just one goal across all games played. He has shockingly been left out of the XI, as has Aymeric Laporte who was his partner at the back. Instead, France’s Dayot Upamecano and Argentina’s Lisandro Martinez feature as the centre-backs in FIFA’s Best XI. While both players did have strong performances, there is really no excuse for excluding the duo that kept seven clean sheets in eight games. A bizarre exclusion What makes the situation even more incomprehensible is the fact that Cubarsi’s strong performances were on FIFA’s notice and the player was even awarded the Best Young Player award after the final. Cubarsi’s exclusion cannot be explained. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) Despite that, however, he did not find a place in the tournament’s best team in what can only be described as a bizarre decision. While the player will not bother about the development, it does raise questions about FIFA’s credibility and scoring metrics. Notably, not a single Barcelona player has made the list as there was no space for Lamine Yamal or Dani Olmo either. Marc Cucurella and Pedro Porro feature as the full-backs alongside the aforementioned central defenders. Jude Bellingham, Rodri and Michael Olise feature as the midfield in the 4-3-3 setup. The attack, meanwhile, is rounded off with Erling Haaland leading the line alongside Mbappe and Messi, all of whom are deserved picks and cannot be disputed.