Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who are in the final stages of their respective careers, have found themselves among the 26 finalists for the 2026 Men’s World 11, the shortlist of which was announced recently. Among the 26 stars in world football are 2026 Ballon d’Or winner Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and world champion Lamine Yamal.
Spain, who won the in the United States, has the biggest representation with as many as six players. Besides , the likes of Pau Cubarsi, Marc Cucurella, Pedri, Rodri, and David Raya are all is the mix, who all were a part of Spain’s second World Cup-winning squad.
As far as clubs are concerned, , Barcelona, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain have four representations each, followed by Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Chelsea who all have three. Liverpool and Manchester United have one representation each.
It is an annual global football award that recognises the men’s and women’s best football players, voted exclusively by professional footballers. For the 2026 award, 19,806 men’s footballers from 73 countries have voted for their team of the year, as compared approximately 26,000 footballers from 70 countries, who voted for their World 11 in 2025.
The 2026 FIFPRO Men’s World 11 winners will be revealed on November 9 (on 17:00 CET) on its official digital platforms. The voting was open from August 4, 2025 to July 19, 2026. During that period, the players must have appeared in at least 30 official matches to be eligible for selection.
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: (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: (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)
