The best of the best: FIFA announces World Cup dream eleven, 11 players were named the best players in the tournament | Football News

FIFA announces star-studded World Cup dream XI including Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Haaland / Picture: X

Spain may have lifted the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy after beating Argentina 1-0 in extra time in New Jersey, but the tournament’s best players have also been recognized after FIFA revealed its official Dream XI.The All-Tournament XI was selected through global fan voting and reflects the top performers from six weeks of soccer competition in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Having reached the semi-finals, Spain, France and Argentina dominated the selection process, with England finishing third with just one representative.Although Thomas Tuchel’s side ended the World Cup on a high note with a 6-4 win over France in the third-place play-off, Jude Bellingham is the only England player named in FIFA’s Dream XI.

Bellingham’s selection follows another outstanding major campaign from the Real Madrid midfielder.The 23-year-old scored seven goals, the most by an English player at a single FIFA World Cup, as the Three Lions achieved their best finish since winning the title in 1966.Bellingham was the only England player to be named in the final XI despite a number of outstanding performances emerging from England, including Bukayo Saka’s historic hat-trick against France and Declan Rice’s record-breaking third-place play-off performance.

Spain, France and Argentina dominate

Rodri, who had just captained Spain to their second World Cup victory, made headlines in midfield after winning the Ballon d’Or as the tournament’s best player.Spain have three representatives, with full-backs Marco Cucurella and Pedro Polo joining their captaincy after Luis de la Fuente’s side completed their unbeaten run by beating Argentina in the final.Despite finishing fourth, France also fielded three players.Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappe dominated the right wing of the attack with 10 goals in this World Cup, becoming the first player to win the World Cup Golden Boot twice. He also broke Messi’s all-time World Cup scoring record with 22 goals.Michael Ollis takes up one of the midfield positions after enjoying his own record-breaking season. The French playmaker ended the tournament with seven assists, the most by a player at a single World Cup.Dayot Upamecano completes France’s centre-back lineup.Argentina, who were beaten into the final after Ferran Torres’ 106th-minute winner, had two players in the eleven.Lionel Messi, who finished this World Cup with eight goals and four assists, plays on the left wing, while defender Lisandro Martinez partners Upamecano in the heart of the defence.Norwegian forward Erling Haaland rounded out the top three, marking his World Cup debut as he scored seven goals to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in history.

Cape Verdean cult hero wins goalkeeper spot

Perhaps the biggest surprise in the Dream XI is the choice of goalkeeper.Fans voted for Cape Verdean veteran Woznia instead of Golden Glove winner Unai Simon, England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford or France’s Mike Maignan.The 40-year-old became one of the rising stars of this World Cup as Cape Verde made a memorable run to the last 32, but they narrowly beat eventual finalists Argentina 3-2 after extra time.Woznia kept clean sheets against Spain and Saudi Arabia, making 18 saves throughout the game and exceeding expected goals by 0.9 goals.His performance also made him an unexpected sensation on social media. The goalkeeper, who started Cape Verde’s first match against Spain, has about 50,000 followers on Instagram, according to match data. After making seven saves against the eventual champions and continuing his impressive season, that number reportedly soared to 29.5 million by the end of the World Cup.

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After the championship, the “Dream Eleven” finished with personal honors.After leading Spain to the championship, Rodri won the Golden Ball as the best player, while Messi and Mbappe won the Silver Ball and Bronze Ball respectively.Mbappe’s 10 goals beat Messi, who ended the World Cup with eight goals and four assists, for the Golden Boot, while Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon won the Golden Glove after conceding just one goal in eight games. Teenage defender Paul Kubasi won the FIFA Young Player Award and the Netherlands received the FIFA Fair Play Award after receiving just three yellow cards all season.