No Harry Kane or Raphinha? Six Paris St-Germain players? A Scott McTominay-less midfield? Any team of the year selection always raises debate.
On Tuesday in Qatar, Fifa held The Best Awards and the Men’s XI was named based on achievements between 11 August 2024 and 2 August 2025.
Fifa’s team was voted for by international captains, coaches and members of the media from selected nations, but of course, only 11 players can make the cut.
Supporters often fight the case for their favourite players and there are always a disgruntled few who miss out.
So BBC Sport has created an alternative World XI of players not selected.
We have opted for the same 4-4-2 formation as Fifa’s Best XI and have not included any more PSG players because the European champions dominate the original team.
No doubt there will still be arguments over our selection – but you can have your say on who should have been included in the comments section below.
