FIFA Best Awards

FIFA Best Football Awards are annual awards organized by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (Fédération Internationale de Football Association – FIFA) that recognize individual and collective performances demonstrated during a calendar year in professional football.

Male footballers pose for a group photo at the 2019 The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony held at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy, 23 September 2019 – (Anadolu Agency)

The FIFA Best Football Awards were established by FIFA in 2016 to create a new award structure succeeding the FIFA World Player of the Year Gala. This move followed the end of the FIFA–France Football Ballon d’Or partnership.

Under this framework, the awards have adopted an independent format directly organized by FIFA.

Award Categories

The FIFA Best Football Awards include separate main and subsidiary categories for men’s and women’s football.

Main Individual Awards

• Best Men’s Player
• Best Women’s Player
• Best Men’s Coach
• Best Women’s Coach
• Best Men’s Goalkeeper
• Best Women’s Goalkeeper

These categories are evaluated based on performances at both national and club levels during the relevant calendar year.

Goal and Team Awards

• FIFA Puskás Award is given for the best goal scored during the evaluation period, determined from goals scored in men’s football.
• FIFA Marta Award is a separate category established to honor the best goal scored in women’s football, specifically recognizing outstanding goal-scoring performances in the women’s game.
• FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World 11 represents the eleven best male footballers of the year as selected by professional footballers.
• FIFA FIFPRO Women’s World 11 represents the eleven best female footballers of the year as selected by professional female footballers.

Social and Ethical Awards

• FIFA Fan Award: This award is given based on fan behavior, their contributions to the football environment, and community-based initiatives. It is determined through voting by football fans and an evaluation process.
• FIFA Fair Play Award: This award is presented in recognition of conduct aligned with sportsmanship principles, ethical behavior, and humanitarian actions. It may be awarded to players, coaching staff, clubs, federations, or football communities.

Voting System

The voting system for the FIFA Best Football Awards consists of four equal components. Winners in the main categories are determined by a 25 percent contribution from each of the following groups:

• Head coaches of national teams from FIFA member countries
• Captains of national teams from FIFA member countries
• Expert sports journalists
• Football fans who vote via FIFA’s digital platforms

This structure creates a model based on equal representation of different football stakeholders in the award process.

Best Men’s Player Award

The Best Men’s Player Award has been presented annually by FIFA since 2016. The winners by year are as follows:

Best Women’s Player

FIFA Puskás Award (Men’s Football)

Best Men’s Goalkeeper

Best Women’s Goalkeeper

Best Men’s Coach

Best Women’s Coach