The players have spoken. FIFPRO revealed the 26 finalists for the FIFPRO World XI 2026 on Monday, and the list has a bit of everything: a Ballon d’Or winner, a stack of World Cup winners, and two old kings who simply refuse to leave the stage.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are both on the FIFPRO World XI 2026 shortlist again. Ronaldo is chasing his 16th selection at 41 years old, while Messi is going for number 18. The final team will be revealed on Monday 9 November.
How the FIFPRO World XI 2026 Works
This award is different from the rest. There are no fan votes and no media panels. Professional footballers around the world pick the team, voting on performances between August 2025 and August 2026, a stretch that included the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. FIFPRO calls it the only global football award decided exclusively by the players, and that is exactly what it is.
The 26 players with the most votes become finalists. From there, the goalkeeper with the most votes takes the gloves, the top three defenders, midfielders and forwards take their spots, and the last place goes to the outfield player with the next highest total.
Goalkeepers
| Player | Club | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Thibaut Courtois | Real Madrid | Belgium |
| Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa | Argentina |
| David Raya | Arsenal | Spain |
Gianluigi Donnarumma took this spot in last year’s team. This time he does not even make the shortlist, which tells you how fast things change at the top. Raya’s rise is the story here, with Courtois and Martinez bringing the big-game pedigree.
Defenders
| Player | Club | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Pau Cubarsi | Barcelona | Spain |
| Marc Cucurella | Chelsea | Spain |
| Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool | Netherlands |
| Gabriel Magalhaes | Arsenal | Brazil |
| Achraf Hakimi | Paris Saint-Germain | Morocco |
| Nuno Mendes | Paris Saint-Germain | Portugal |
| William Saliba | Arsenal | France |
| Dayot Upamecano | Bayern Munich | France |
World champions Spain put two defenders on the list, and Cubarsi did it as a teenager who also took home the Young Player award at the World Cup. Arsenal will love seeing Gabriel and Saliba side by side here, while Paris Saint-Germain’s flying full-backs Hakimi and Mendes feel like locks for the final team.
Midfielders
| Player | Club | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Jude Bellingham | Real Madrid | England |
| Bruno Fernandes | Manchester United | Portugal |
| Enzo Fernandez | Chelsea | Argentina |
| Pedri | Barcelona | Spain |
| Declan Rice | Arsenal | England |
| Rodri | Barcelona | Spain |
| Vitinha | Paris Saint-Germain | Portugal |
Rodri is back on the list after running Spain’s midfield all the way to the World Cup trophy and the tournament’s Golden Ball. Bellingham and Pedri feel certain to feature in the final team, which leaves a real fight between Vitinha, Rice, Fernandes and Fernandez for whatever spots remain.
Forwards
| Player | Club | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
This is the glamour end of the list. Kane arrives as the new Ballon d’Or winner, Mbappe comes in off a Golden Boot-winning World Cup with 10 goals, and Messi scored eight times at that same tournament. Then there is Ronaldo, still here, still refusing to make room for the next generation.
Read more: Ballon d’Or 2026 Winners: Full List
Ronaldo and Messi Refuse to Fade
Messi and Ronaldo are the only two finalists who play their club football outside Europe, Messi with Inter Miami and Ronaldo with Al-Nassr. Every other name on this list plays in England, Spain, France or Germany.
The history between them in this award is silly. No player has more World XI selections than Messi with 17, and Ronaldo sits second with 15, comfortably ahead of Sergio Ramos on 11. These two have been collecting these selections since 2007, when some of the other finalists were still in primary school.
The catch is that neither man has actually made the final team for a while. Ronaldo last got in back in 2021 and Messi in 2023. Both were shortlisted in 2024 and 2025, and both missed out. Ronaldo’s case this time is the same as always: the goals never stopped. He is closing in on 1,000 career goals at Al-Nassr, and in a World Cup year he still had the respect of the players who line up against him. Whether respect turns into votes against Mbappe, Kane, Haaland and Yamal is the big question of this year’s vote.
Read more: El Clasico All Time Top Scorers
The Big Names Who Missed Out
For every happy finalist, there is a big name staring at the list from the outside. Mohamed Salah is gone after making the 2025 shortlist. Ousmane Dembele made the final team last year and does not make the 26 this time. Cole Palmer drops out too after featuring in last year’s team.
The harshest cut of all might be Donnarumma. A year ago he was the goalkeeper in the World XI. This year the players did not even put him in the top three of his own position. That is the level of competition on this list.
Big names missing from the 2026 shortlist:
- Mohamed Salah
- Ousmane Dembele
- Cole Palmer
- Gianluigi Donnarumma
Our Predicted FIFPRO World XI 2026
Here is the team we think the players will land on when the votes are counted:
Goalkeeper
- Thibaut Courtois
Defenders
- Achraf Hakimi
- Virgil van Dijk
- Nuno Mendes
Midfielders
- Jude Bellingham
- Rodri
- Pedri
- Vitinha
Forwards
- Kylian Mbappe
- Harry Kane
- Lamine Yamal
The hardest call is leaving out Messi and Ronaldo. On form, the three forward spots go to Mbappe, Kane and Yamal, and it is not particularly close. But this vote has surprised us before, and nobody in football rates the two legends higher than their fellow professionals do. If one of them sneaks in, it will most likely be through the extra outfield spot.
Read more: Portugal Before and After Ronaldo
When Is the Final Team Announced?
FIFPRO will reveal the FIFPRO World XI 2026 on Monday 9 November across its digital platforms. We will update this page with the final team the moment it lands, along with the reaction to the biggest calls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who votes for the FIFPRO World XI 2026?
Only professional footballers. Players from leagues around the world vote for the team, which makes it the only global football award decided purely by the players themselves.
When will the FIFPRO World XI 2026 winners be announced?
The final team will be revealed on Monday 9 November 2026 on FIFPRO’s digital platforms.
How many times has Cristiano Ronaldo been picked in the FIFPRO World XI?
Ronaldo has been selected 15 times, the second most in history behind Lionel Messi’s 17. He is on the 2026 shortlist and could make it 16 if the players vote him into the final team.
Which clubs have the most nominees on the shortlist?
Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona lead the way with four nominees each. Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have three each.
Did Mohamed Salah make the FIFPRO World XI 2026 shortlist?
No. Salah was a finalist in 2025 but missed out this time, along with Ousmane Dembele, Cole Palmer and Gianluigi Donnarumma.