The Best FIFA Football Awards

The Best FIFA Football Awards
fifa · Public domain · source
Name	The Best FIFA Football Awards
Awarded for	Excellence in association football
Presenter	Fédération Internationale de Football Association
Country	Switzerland
First awarded	2016

The Best FIFA Football Awards are annual association football honours presented by Fédération Internationale de Football Association to recognise outstanding achievements by players, coaches, and officials in international and club competitions. Launched after the end of the partnership between Fédération Internationale de Football Association and France Football over the Ballon d'Or, the awards aim to celebrate performances across FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores, and other continental tournaments. Winners are chosen through a voting process that involves national team coaches, national team captains, selected media representatives, and fans.

History

FIFA announced the inauguration of the awards in 2016 following the termination of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association–France Football collaboration that had produced the FIFA Ballon d'Or. The first ceremony occurred in 2016 in Zurich, reflecting a broader restructuring of FIFA initiatives after the 2015 FIFA corruption case and reforms under Gianni Infantino. Successive ceremonies have been staged in cities such as London, Milan, and Zurich again, while aligning with major events like the FIFA Congress and timing around the UEFA European Championship and Copa América cycles. The awards have evolved alongside the expansion of competitions including FIFA Club World Cup and the revamped UEFA Nations League.

Awards and Categories

The awards encompass multiple categories that mirror roles across club and international football. Principal honours include Best Men's Player, Best Women's Player, Best Men's Coach, Best Women's Coach, and Best Goalkeeper. FIFA also presents the FIFA Puskás Award for most aesthetically significant goal, the FIFA Fair Play Award, and the FIFA Fan Award. Categories have spawned additional recognitions such as Best Men's Superlative lists, inclusion in FIFPRO-led FIFPRO World 11 cross-referencing, and awards for emerging talent analogous to Golden Boy (award) and IFFHS World's Best Player distinctions. Special awards have occasionally been presented for lifetime achievement, drawing parallels to honours like the Ballon d'Or Dream Team retrospectives.

Selection and Voting Process

Voting historically combines ballots from four voting groups: national team coaches, national team captains, selected media representatives, and an online fan vote conducted via FIFA platforms and partner media outlets. The process is overseen by FIFA's awards committee and eligibility windows reference performance periods across domestic leagues such as Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1, plus continental competitions like UEFA Champions League and CONMEBOL Libertadores. Shortlists are compiled by panels including former players and coaches from institutions like FIFPRO, UEFA, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, AFC, and CAF. Tiebreakers and final tabulation are handled by FIFA's administration and audited to comply with governance reforms advocated after the 2015 FIFA corruption case.

Notable Winners and Records

Laureates include many prominent figures from contemporary football. Players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Luka Modrić, Neymar, Kylian Mbappé, Robert Lewandowski, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, and Marta have featured as nominees or winners across editions. Coaches honoured include Zinedine Zidane, Pep Guardiola, Jürgen Klopp, Carlo Ancelotti, Silvia Neid, and Jill Ellis. Goalkeepers recognised include Manuel Neuer and Hope Solo. Records include repeat winners who mirrored achievements seen in Ballon d'Or history and cross-award laureates who won both FIFA and continental accolades like the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award. The Puskás Award celebrated spectacular strikes by players such as James Rodríguez and Mohamed Salah, while the Fan Award spotlighted viral moments akin to social-media phenomenon goals and gestures tied to players from Argentina national football team and Brazil national football team.

Controversies and Criticisms

The awards have faced critiques reminiscent of disputes around the Ballon d'Or and other high-profile honours. Criticisms include perceived voting biases favoring players from top European clubs such as Real Madrid CF, FC Barcelona, Manchester United F.C., and FC Bayern Munich, and concerns over media panel composition reflecting outlets like BBC Sport, L'Équipe, and Marca. Transparency debates have referenced the fallout of the 2015 FIFA corruption case and calls for clearer audit trails from organisations like Transparency International. Fan voting channels have been accused of susceptibility to online campaigns amplified via platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, prompting comparisons to controversies around awards in UEFA and CONMEBOL. Eligibility windows and calendar-year versus season-based performance metrics have also sparked disputes involving national-team players from Germany national football team, Spain national football team, and France national football team.

Ceremony and Broadcast Details

Ceremonies are typically gala events featuring presenters, musical performances, and package reels produced in collaboration with broadcasters and rights-holders such as Sky Sports, ESPN, beIN Sports, and BBC. Production involves FIFA's communications department and partner event agencies, with live transmissions reaching audiences across Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa via national broadcasters like RTVE, TV Globo, RMC Sport, and ZDF. Venues have included concert halls and conference centres in host cities, and auxiliary events such as nominee press conferences and charity matches have been staged in partnership with clubs and federations including UEFA and CONCACAF. Broadcasts incorporate multilingual commentary feeds to serve markets in United Kingdom, United States, Brazil, Spain, Germany, and beyond.

Category:Association football trophies and awards