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Less than a month after the final whistle blew at the ninth FIFA Women’s World Cup™ final, the nominations have been announced for the eighth edition of The Best FIFA Football Awards™.
The nominees were shortlisted by a panel of football experts who reviewed longer lists compiled by FIFA based on the candidates’ achievements during the respective award eligibility periods (see below). Voting is now open across the various categories, with the international jury being comprised of national team captains and coaches, journalists, and fans from all over the world.
Performances at the record-breaking FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ are reflected in The Best FIFA Women’s Player nominees. Adidas Golden Ball winner Aitana Bonmatí leads a quartet of Spanish nominees. Four players from tournament runners-up England and a trio of Matildas – who were a victory away from reaching the final on home soil – are also part of a 16-player shortlist.
Half of the candidates for The Best FIFA Men’s Player were part of Manchester City’s 2022-23 treble-winning squad, while coach Pep Guardiola, is nominated for The Best FIFA Men’s Coach alongside four of his peers. Meanwhile, the 2021 and 2022 winners of The Best FIFA Women’s Coach – Emma Hayes and Sarina Wiegman – feature among the quintet nominated in this category.
Between the sticks, nominations for The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper are heavily dominated by custodians who shone in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand during July and August. Adidas Golden Glove winner Mary Earps is joined by gold medallist Catalina Coll in a seven-strong list of candidates. In the corresponding men’s category, the five nominees hail from three different continents.
The FIFA Puskás Award is guaranteed to generate hundreds of thousands of votes each year, with the prize recognising the player ‘judged to have scored the most aesthetically significant goal, regardless of championship, gender or nationality and scored without the result of luck or a mistake and in support of fair play.’ The nominees will be announced on 21 September.
The nominees for the FIFA Fan Award offer an eclectic combination of fandom and special achievements, and this year’s edition is no different. Fran Hurndall dribbled a football over 1000km for 32 days to raise money for charity while a fan of Club Atlético Colón de Santa Fe was captured on camera imbuing a sense of club loyalty as he cradled his baby son in his arms in the stands, and Miguel Ángel, a young fan of Colombian club Millonarios fulfilled his final wish to meet his heroes before passing away.
The winners of The Best FIFA Women’s Player, The Best FIFA Women’s Coach and The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper will be selected by an international jury comprising the current coaches of all women’s national teams (one per team), the current captains of all women’s national teams (one per team), one specialist journalist from each territory represented by a national team and fans from all over the world registered on FIFA.com.
The winners of The Best FIFA Men’s Player, The Best FIFA Men’s Coach and The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper will be selected by an international jury comprising the current coaches of all men’s national teams (one per team), the current captains of all men’s national teams (one per team), one specialist journalist from each territory represented by a national team and fans from all over the world registered on FIFA.com.
The Best FIFA Women’s Player Nominees
AitanaBonmatí (Spain / FC Barcelona); Linda Caicedo (Colombia / Real Madrid CF); Rachel Daly (England / Aston Villa Ladies FC); Kadidiatou Diani (France / Olympique Lyonnais / Paris Saint-Germain prior to Aug 2023); Caitlin Foord (Australia / Arsenal WFC); Mary Fowler (Australia / Manchester City WFC); Alex Greenwood (England / Manchester City WFC); Jennifer Hermoso (Spain / CF Pachuca Femenil); Lindsey Horan (USA / Olympique Lyonnais); Amanda Ilestedt (Sweden / Arsenal WFC / Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) prior to June 2023); Lauren James (England / Chelsea FC); Sam Kerr (Australia / Chelsea FC); Mapi León (Spain / FC Barcelona); Hinata Miyazawa (Japan / Mynavi Sendai); Salma Paralluelo (Spain / FC Barcelona); Keira Walsh (England / FC Barcelona).
The Best FIFA Men’s Player Nominees
Julián Álvarez (Argentina / Manchester City FC); Marcelo Brozović (Croatia / FC Internazionale Milano /Al Nassr FC); Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium / Manchester City FC); İlkay Gündoğan (Germany / Manchester City FC /FC Barcelona); Erling Haaland (Norway / Manchester City FC); Rodrigo (Rodri) Hernández Cascante (Spain / Manchester City FC); Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia / SSC Napoli); Kylian Mbappé (France / Paris Saint-Germain); Lionel Messi (Argentina / Paris Saint-Germain /Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami); Victor Osimhen (Nigeria / SSC Napoli); Declan Rice (England / West Ham United FC /Arsenal FC); Bernardo Silva (Portugal / Manchester City FC).
The Best FIFA Women’s Coach Nominees
Peter Gerhardsson (Sweden): Jonatan Giráldez (Spain / FC Barcelona); Tony Gustavsson (Sweden / Australia); Emma Hayes (England / Chelsea FC); Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands / England).
The Best FIFA Men’s Coach Nominees
Pep Guardiola (Spain / Manchester City FC); Simone Inzaghi (Italy/ FC Internazionale Milano); Ange Postecoglou (Australia / Celtic FC /Tottenham Hotspur); Luciano Spalletti (Italy /SSC Napoli); Xavi (Spain / FC Barcelona).
The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper Nominees
Mackenzie Arnold (Australia / West Ham United FC); Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany / Chelsea FC); Catalina Coll (Spain / FC Barcelona); Mary Earps (England / Manchester United); Christiane Endler (Chile / Olympique Lyonnais); Zećira Mušović (Sweden / Chelsea FC); Sandra Paños García-Villamil (Spain / FC Barcelona).
The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper Nominees
Yassine Bounou (Morocco / Sevilla FC); Thibaut Courtois (Belgium / Real Madrid CF); Ederson (Brazil / Manchester City FC); André Onana (Cameroon / FC Internazionale Milano /Manchester United FC); Marc-André ter Stegen (Germany / FC Barcelona).
The FIFA Fan Award Nominees
Club Atlético Colón de Santa Fe fan (Argentina); Fran Hurndall (England); Miguel Ángel, Millonarios fan (Colombia).
Award Qualifying Periods
The qualifying period for the women’s awards – The Best FIFA Women’s Player, The Best FIFA Women’s Coach and The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper – was from August 1 to August 20, 2023, the date of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Final.
For the men’s awards – The Best FIFA Men’s Player, The Best FIFA Men’s Coach and The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper – the qualifying period was between December 19, 2022 to August 20, 2023.
When does voting open?
Fan voting in all the above categories will commence on FIFA’s digital platforms on Thursday 14 September when the respective shortlisted nominees are announced, along with the candidates for The FIFA Fan Award. Voting will close at midnight CET on Friday, October 6.
Voting for the FIFA Puskás Award, which will be presented to the scorer of the best goal during the period from December 19, 2022 to August 20, 2023 inclusive, will commence on Thursday, September 21 and close at midnight CET on Tuesday, October 10.
