September 15 – Nominees for The Best FIFA Awards 2023 have been revealed across men and women’s categories, as FIFA prepares to crown the world’s leading performers.
A panel of football experts curated the list of nominees, sifting through FIFA’s rosters that spotlighted candidates’ accomplishments during the designated award-eligible periods.
Voting by category is now open on FIFA.com for the eighth edition of the awards that took over from the Ballon d’Or awards after FIFA severed a long running 0c-agreement with the French organisers.
World-cup winning duo Alexia Putellas and Lionel Messi are current holders of the best men’s and women’s award.
Putellas is a notable absentee from the Women’s nominees, despite being the current holder and winning the 2023 World Cup with Spain. Four of her teammates from that campaign have been nominated. Spain’s World Cup winning coach Jorge Vilda has not been nominate for the coaches award, but England’s losing coach from the final, Sarina Wiegman, has. Three males are in the list of five nominees for the coaching award.
Lionel Messi, however, remains in the thick of the nominee pile and will be hard to beat for the award for another year.
The Nominees for The Best FIFA Awards are as follows:
The Best FIFA Women’s Player Nominees:
- Aitana Bonmatí (Spain)
- Linda Caicedo (Colombia)
- Rachel Daly (England)
- Kadidiatou Diani (France)
- Caitlin Foord (Australia)
- Mary Fowler (Australia)
- Alex Greenwood (England)
- Jennifer Hermoso (Spain)
- Lindsey Horan (USA)
- Amanda Ilestedt (Sweden)
- Lauren James (England)
- Sam Kerr (Australia)
- Mapi León (Spain)
- Hinata Miyazawa (Japan)
- Salma Paralluelo (Spain)
- Keira Walsh (England)
The Best FIFA Men’s Player Nominees:
- Julián Álvarez (Argentina)
- Marcelo Brozović (Croatia)
- Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium)
- İlkay Gündoğan (Germany)
- Erling Haaland (Norway)
- Rodrigo (Rodri) Hernández Cascante (Spain)
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia)
- Kylian Mbappé (France)
- Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- Victor Osimhen (Nigeria)
- Declan Rice (England)
- Bernardo Silva (Portugal)
The Best FIFA Women’s Coach Nominees:
- Peter Gerhardsson (Sweden)
- Jonatan Giráldez (Spain)
- Tony Gustavsson (Sweden)
- Emma Hayes (England)
- Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands)
The Best FIFA Men’s Coach Nominees:
- Pep Guardiola (Spain)
- Simone Inzaghi (Italy)
- Ange Postecoglou (Australia)
- Luciano Spalletti (Italy)
- Xavi (Spain)
The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper Nominees:
- Mackenzie Arnold (Australia)
- Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany)
- Catalina Coll (Spain)
- Mary Earps (England)
- Christiane Endler (Chile)
- Zećira Mušović (Sweden)
- Sandra Paños García-Villamil (Spain)
The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper Nominees:
- Yassine Bounou (Morocco)
- Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)
- Ederson (Brazil)
- André Onana (Cameroon)
- Marc-André ter Stegen (Germany)
Nominees for the Puskas award, given to the best goal of the year, will be announced on the September 21.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1714624023labto1714624023ofdlr1714624023owedi1714624023sni@g1714624023niwe.1714624023yrrah1714624023