Lionel Messi is back in the 2026 FIFPRO World 11. FIFPRO announced the 2026 team on Monday, November 9, 2026, and Messi was named in the forward line for a record 18th time. It is his first selection since 2023. The biggest talking points came from the names that did not make it. Cristiano Ronaldo was left out even though he was on the 26-man shortlist. Harry Kane was also left out, even though he won the 2026 Ballon d’Or. That makes Kane the first men’s Ballon d’Or winner since 2005 to miss the FIFPRO World 11 in the same calendar year. The team was chosen by professional players, and the choices show how they judged the season.
Table of Contents
Quick Facts
| Detail | Fact |
|---|---|
| Announcement date | Monday, November 9, 2026 |
| Award | 2026 FIFPRO Men’s World 11 |
| Messi selections | 18, a record |
| Messi last selection before 2026 | 2023 |
| Messi age | 39 |
| Messi club | Inter Miami |
| Ronaldo | On the 26-man shortlist, not in the final team |
| Kane | 2026 Ballon d’Or winner, not in the final team |
| Voters | 19,806 professional footballers |
| Voting countries | 73 |
| Performance period | August 4, 2025 to July 19, 2026 |
| Youngest record | Lamine Yamal, first under-20 player with two selections |
How the Team Was Chosen
The FIFPRO World 11 is different from most major football awards because players decide it. For the 2026 team, 19,806 professional footballers from 73 countries voted for the players they thought deserved a place. No panel of journalists picked the team, and no group of coaches made the final call. The votes came from the people who play the game at a professional level, and that gives the result a weight that fans and players pay close attention to each year.
The voters were asked to judge performances across a set period. The window for the 2026 team ran from August 4, 2025 to July 19, 2026. That window covers most of a club season, along with the major international fixtures that fall inside it. A player could not rely on reputation alone. The form shown inside that window mattered, and the votes reflect what fellow professionals saw week after week.
The shortlist had 26 names, which means 15 players were cut when the final 11 were named, and that gap between the shortlist and the final team is where the main stories of this year sit.
Messi and a Record 18th Selection
Lionel Messi is 39 years old and plays for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, yet his fellow professionals still voted him into the best team in the world. His 2026 selection is his 18th FIFPRO World 11 selection, which is a record. No other player has been chosen as often. It is also his first selection since 2023, which makes the return feel like a fresh moment rather than a routine pick.
His place in the forward line also says something about how players judge quality. Messi plays in MLS, a league that does not get the same weekly attention as the top leagues in Europe. Some people might expect that to hurt his chances in a vote like this. The result shows that the players who voted did not see it that way. They judged what he did on the pitch during the period in question, and they placed him among the best forwards in the world. For fans who have followed his career, the 18th selection is another chapter in a story that has run for almost two decades, and it is a vote from current professionals about current form.
Ronaldo Left Out Despite a Shortlist Place
Cristiano Ronaldo was on the 26-man shortlist for the 2026 FIFPRO World 11, but he did not make the final team. The shortlist place shows that many players still rate him highly. The final cut shows that, when the votes were counted, other forwards finished ahead of him for the forward spots in the team.
Ronaldo is one of the most decorated players in the history of the award, and his absence from the team will surprise many fans. He has been a regular in the World 11 for much of his career, and his name has long been linked with Messi in debates about the best players of their generation. This year, the vote went another way. Messi was picked, Ronaldo was not, and the split between the two old rivals has become one of the main talking points of the announcement.
It is worth remembering what a shortlist place means in this vote. The 26 names are chosen as the best players in each position, and only 11 can make the final team. The competition for the forward spots was strong, with goals and big performances spread across several players. Ronaldo made the group of 26, but the final forwards were Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, and Lamine Yamal. The news will fuel debate about where Ronaldo stands at this stage of his career, but the vote itself is simple. Fellow professionals were asked to pick the best 11 players in the world for the period from August 2025 to July 2026, and Ronaldo was among the players who missed the cut. His future with his national team has also been a topic of wide discussion, and you can read more in our report on Ronaldo and Portugal.
Kane Misses Out After Winning the Ballon d’Or
Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d’Or, the most famous individual prize in world football, but he was not named in the 2026 FIFPRO World 11. That split between the two awards is rare. Kane is the first men’s Ballon d’Or winner since 2005 to miss the FIFPRO World 11 in the same calendar year, which shows how unusual this result is.
The Ballon d’Or is decided by journalists, while the FIFPRO World 11 is decided by players, and the two groups can see the same season in different ways. This year, those two views did not line up for Kane, even though he won the top prize from one group and missed out with the other.
Kane plays as a striker, and the forward spots in the World 11 went to Messi, Mbappe, Haaland, and Yamal. That means the voters had to leave out a Ballon d’Or winner to fit those names in. It is a sharp reminder that the World 11 has only 11 places, and that a strong year from several forwards can push even an award winner out of the team. The result does not take away from the Ballon d’Or, which stands on its own. But the FIFPRO result adds a new layer to the story of his season. He won the biggest individual prize in the game, yet the players who face him and watch him each week chose a different forward line. For more on his recent career, read about his contract extension with Bayern.
The Full 2026 FIFPRO World 11, Position by Position
The 2026 FIFPRO Men’s World 11 has one goalkeeper, three defenders, three midfielders, and four forwards. In goal, David Raya of Arsenal and Spain was picked. The defence is made up of Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco, Pau Cubarsi of Barcelona and Spain, and Nuno Mendes of Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal. The midfield has Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid and England, Rodri of Manchester City and Spain, and Vitinha of Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal.
The forward line is where the most famous names sit. Messi of Inter Miami and Argentina is joined by Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid and France, Erling Haaland of Manchester City and Norway, and Lamine Yamal of Barcelona and Spain. It is a forward line with pace, goals, and creativity, and it brings together players from four different clubs and four different countries.
Yamal is the youngest story in the team. He became the first under-20 player to earn two FIFPRO World 11 selections. That record shows how quickly he has become a player that fellow professionals rate among the best in the world. To be picked once at such a young age is rare. To be picked twice before turning 20 is a first, and it sets him apart from every player who came before him in this award.
FAQs
Who was named in the 2026 FIFPRO Men’s World 11?
The team is David Raya in goal, Achraf Hakimi, Pau Cubarsi, and Nuno Mendes in defence, Jude Bellingham, Rodri, and Vitinha in midfield, and Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, and Lamine Yamal in attack.
How many times has Lionel Messi been selected for the FIFPRO World 11?
Messi has been selected 18 times, which is a record. His 2026 selection is his first since 2023.
Why did Harry Kane miss the 2026 FIFPRO World 11 after winning the Ballon d’Or?
The two awards are decided by different voters. The Ballon d’Or is voted for by journalists, while the FIFPRO World 11 is voted for by professional players. Kane won the Ballon d’Or, but the players chose a forward line of Messi, Mbappe, Haaland, and Yamal, so he missed out. He is the first men’s Ballon d’Or winner since 2005 to miss the World 11 in the same calendar year.
Who voted for the 2026 FIFPRO World 11?
The team was chosen by votes from 19,806 professional footballers in 73 countries. Players were judged on performances between August 4, 2025 and July 19, 2026.
Sources
Final Thoughts
The 2026 FIFPRO World 11 is a team that will be remembered for its surprises as much as for its stars. Messi earned a record 18th selection at the age of 39, and his return to the team after a two-year gap shows how much respect he still holds among fellow players. Yamal earned a second selection before turning 20, which is a first in the history of the award and a sign of how fast he is rising.
The players left out matter just as much. Ronaldo was on the shortlist but did not make the final team. Kane won the Ballon d’Or but did not make the team either, which has not happened to a men’s Ballon d’Or winner since 2005. Those two omissions show that the player vote can differ from the headlines and from other awards. In the end, the team is a snapshot of one season as seen by the people who play the game. Messi is in, Yamal is making history, and the 2026 team is already one of the most talked about World 11 selections in years.
