▲ FIFPRO Men's World 11 Nominees
From football icons Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr) to rising supernova Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), veteran and young stars will compete for a spot in the FIFPRO Best 11.
FIFPRO announced the 26-player shortlists for both the men's and women's categories of the 2026 World Best 11 on its official website on November 3 (KST).
The list was determined by direct votes from 26,317 professional players across 75 countries (19,806 male players from 73 countries and 6,511 female players from 64 countries).
For the men's category, performances between August 4, 2025, and July 19, 2026, served as the criteria (requiring at least 30 matches played), while the women's nominees were selected based on their performances from August 4, 2025, to August 16, 2026 (requiring at least 20 matches played).
The World Best 11 is formed by first selecting one goalkeeper, three defenders, three midfielders, and three forwards who receive the most votes, with the remaining outfield player spot filled by the next highest-voted player.
Eternal rivals Messi and Ronaldo were both included among the eight forward nominees, demonstrating their enduring status.
They will be joined by this year's Ballon d'Or winner Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), Erling Haaland (Manchester City), and prodigy Yamal, foreshadowing fierce competition in the forward category.
By club, Arsenal of the English Premier League (EPL) stood out by producing a total of four nominees, including defenders Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, goalkeeper David Raya, and midfielder Declan Rice.
No Asian players, including South Korean stars Son Heung-min (LAFC), Lee Kang-in (Atletico Madrid), and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), made the list.
The final 11 winners are scheduled to be revealed on November 9, local time.
(Photo: Captured from FIFPRO website, Yonhap News)
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