Kane, Messi and Ronaldo Headline FIFPRO World 11 Shortlist of 26

Harry Kane, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo headline the 26-player men's shortlist for the 2026 FIFPRO World 11, announced by the players union on Monday, November 2 after voting by professional footballers closed. Kane, the recent Ballon d'Or winner, leads a forwards list that also includes Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Lamine Yamal. The World 11 is the only global football award decided exclusively by players, and the final team will be revealed on Monday, November 9.

The forwards

Eight forwards made the list: Erling Haaland of Manchester City and Norway, Harry Kane of Bayern Munich and England, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of Paris Saint-Germain and Georgia, Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid and France, Lionel Messi of Inter Miami and Argentina, Michael Olise of Bayern Munich and France, Cristiano Ronaldo of Al-Nassr and Portugal, and Lamine Yamal of Barcelona and Spain.

The midfielders

Seven midfielders were named: Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid and England, Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United and Portugal, Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea and Manchester City and Argentina, Pedri of Barcelona and Spain, Declan Rice of Arsenal and England, Rodri of Manchester City and Barcelona and Spain, and Vitinha of Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal. The published list shows Fernandez and Rodri with two clubs each.

The defenders and goalkeepers

The eight defenders are Pau Cubarsi of Barcelona and Spain, Marc Cucurella of Chelsea and Real Madrid and Spain, Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool and the Netherlands, Gabriel of Arsenal and Brazil, Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco, Nuno Mendes of Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal, William Saliba of Arsenal and France, and Dayot Upamecano of Bayern Munich and France. The three goalkeepers are Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid and Belgium, Emiliano Martinez of Aston Villa and Chelsea and Argentina, and David Raya of Arsenal and Spain.

How the team is picked

A total of 19,806 professional players voted for the men's team. Across the men's and women's lists, FIFPRO counted 26,317 voters from 75 countries. Finalists were judged on performances between August 4, 2025 and July 19, 2026, and each man had to play at least 30 official matches in that period. The final team takes the goalkeeper, three defenders, three midfielders and three forwards with the most votes, plus the next highest voted outfield player. FIFPRO will announce the winners on November 9 from 14:00 CET on its digital platforms. Five men on the shortlist did not make the Ballon d'Or top 30 last week: Emiliano Martinez, Thibaut Courtois, Enzo Fernandez, Virgil van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Flashscore.

The women's shortlist

FIFPRO also named a 26-player women's shortlist, chosen by 6,511 professional women's players. The list includes three-time Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati, Alexia Putellas and Barbra Banda. Arsenal has four finalists: Ona Batlle, Emily Fox, Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo. Fox is the only American on the list, and no Canadian player was named. Flashscore noted that Manchester City forward Khadija Shaw, who finished third in Ballon d'Or voting, was left off. Women's finalists were judged on performances between August 4, 2025 and August 16, 2026, with a 20-match minimum, and the women's team will also be announced on November 9.