FIFPro releases men's World 11 finalists: Who deserves Best XI status for 2026?

The FIFPro men's World XI honors the best players in the world for a given year, and this season’s list of 26 finalists does not leave a straight-forward route to the final group. Predictably heavy on players for World Cup champions Spain and European club winners Paris Saint-Germain, the group of finalists is impressive. MORE — Current Premier League table for 2026-27 But it's also very complicated — the best individual performances of the year didn't necessarily lead to trophies. Ballon d'Or winner Harry Kane won the Bundesliga but No. 2 Kylian Mbappe won almost nothing. So how is the FIFPro World XI decided, and who will win it? How is the FIFPro men’s World XI decided? This is essentially the player's player of the year, as 19,806 men’s footballers from 73 countries took part in the voting. There will be one goalkeeper and a minimum of three defenders, midfielders, and forwards making the XI plus the next leading votegetter outside of the goalkeeper position. Who was in last season’s FIFPro men’s World XI? Plenty of returnees could make the list, as Gianluigi Donnarumma and Cole Palmer are the only players from last season's group who are not in the pool of finalists. Virgil van Dijk, Achraf Hakimi, and Nuno Mendes were the defenders from 2025, with Jude Bellingham, Pedri, Vitinha, and Palmer in the midfield. Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe, and Lamine Yamal made up the front three. 2026 FIFPRO Men’s World 11 Finalists Goalkeepers Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid, Belgium) Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa/Chelsea, Argentina) David Raya (Arsenal, Spain) Defenders Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona, Spain) Marc Cucurella (Chelsea/Real Madrid, Spain) Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, Netherlands) Gabriel (Arsenal, Brazil) Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain, Morocco) Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal) William Saliba (Arsenal, France) Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich, France) Midfielders Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, England) Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United, Portugal) Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea/Manchester City, Argentina) Pedri (Barcelona, Spain) Declan Rice (Arsenal, England) Rodri (Manchester City/Barcelona, Spain) Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal) Forwards Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway) Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England) Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain, Georgia) Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid, France) Lionel Messi (Inter Miami, Argentina) Michael Olise (Bayern Munich, France) Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr, Portugal) Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain) 2026 FIFPRO Men’s World 11 predictions This is tough. Picking just three forwards is almost impossible. What Lionel Messi did at the World Cup further fills a field of top performers including Ballon d'Or winner Harry Kane and World Cup winner Lamine Yamal. That would leave only one more spot for Kylian Mbappe, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Michael Olise, and Erling Haaland (Sorry Ronaldo, you're a finalist but it's borderline criminal that you're in the final 26). The midfield could go anumber of ways. Rodri and Declan Rice feel like shoo-ins, with Vitinha, Bellingham, and Pedri next on the list. Did Enzo Fernandez's World Cup do enough? Defender could come down to who joins Achraf Hakimi and Pau Cubarsi. Marc Cucurellas would be a worth winner and Nuno Mendes made the group last year, but we'll put another Arsenal player on the list. As for goalkeeper... Thibaut Courtois won very little this season, while Emi Martinez's World Cup Final run and Europa League run could push him higher than David Raya, who won the Premier League but would make the Best XI without being the starter for his team at the World Cup. We're putting him in, but we don't feel confident doing so. — David Raya — — Achraf Hakimi — Pau Cubarsi — Gabriel Magalhaes — — Pedri — Rodri — Declan Rice — — Lamine Yamal — Harry Kane — Lionel Messi — Kylian Mbappe —