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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Alex Pattle

Fifa Best awards: When is ceremony and who is nominated?

The Fifa Best awards will be handed out in the new year, with nominees having been revealed on Friday 29 November.

The ceremony is generally seen as the second-most prestigious in football, following the Ballon d’Or – which led to great debate in the men’s category this year.

Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri beat Vinicius Jr to the prize, leading Real Madrid to boycott the event, which is organised by France Football and Uefa.

And the pair are among those contending for the men’s Fifa Best award, too, while Ballon d’Or Feminin winner Aitana Bonmati could complete a personal double – and retain her Fifa Best crown.

Here’s all you need to know about the ceremony and nominees.

When is the Fifa Best awards ceremony?

The 2024 Fifa Best awards will be presented at a ceremony in January 2025. No date has yet been revealed for the ceremony, but the previous edition took place on 15 January 2024 – giving fans a rough guide.

How can I watch it?

Aitana Bonmati (left) and Rodri won the main Ballon d’Or prizes this year (AP)

The ceremony is expected to stream live on the Fifa+ website, as well as on TNT Sports and Eurosport. But more information will be provided here when it is available.

What are the categories, how can I vote, and who won last year?

As well as the categories listed in the section below, there will be a best men’s XI, best women’s XI, best men’s goal (Puskas Award) and – for the first time – best women’s goal (Marta Award).

Fans can vote for their preferred winners, with a deadline of 11.59pm CET on 10 December.

The last edition of the ceremony saw Lionel Messi crowned best men’s player, while Aitana Bonmati won the women’s prize. Man City manager Pep Guardiola was named best men’s coach, while Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman took home the women’s award. There was more silverware for Man City as Ederson won the best men’s goalkeeper prize, while Man United got one back when Mary Earps was named best women’s keeper – before her move to PSG.

Who are the nominees?

Best Men’s Player

Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid and Spain)

Erling Haaland (Manchester City and Norway)

Federico Valverde (Real Madrid and Uruguay)

Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen and Germany)

Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid and England

Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain/Real Madrid and France)

Lamine Yamal (Barcelona and Spain)

Lionel Messi (Inter Miami and Argentina)

Rodri (Manchester City and Spain)

Toni Kroos (Real Madrid and Germany – now retired)

Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid and Brazil)

Best Women’s Player

Man City star Khadija Shaw is among the nominees for best women’s player (Getty Images)

Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona and Spain)

Barbra Banda (Shanghai Shengli/Orlando Pride and Zambia)

Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona and Norway)

Keira Walsh (Barcelona and England)

Khadija Shaw (Manchester City and Jamaica)

Lauren Hemp (Manchester City and England)

Lindsey Horan (Lyon and United States)

Lucy Bronze (Barcelona/Chelsea and England)

Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars and United States)

Mariona Caldentey (Barcelona/Arsenal and Spain)

Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave and United States)

Ona Batlle (Barcelona and Spain)

Salma Paralluelo (Barcelona and Spain)

Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns and United States)

Tabitha Chawinga (Paris Saint-Germain/Lyon and Malawi)

Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit and United States)

Best Men’s Goalkeeper

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is a contender for a Fifa Best prize (PA Wire)

Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid and Ukraine)

David Raya (Arsenal and Spain)

Ederson (Manchester City and Brazil)

Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa and Argentina)

Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Italy)

Mike Maignan (AC Milan and France)

Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao and Spain)

Best Women’s Goalkeeper

England goalkeeper Mary Earps won a Fifa Best award while at Man Utd, before joining PSG (The FA via Getty Images)

Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars and United States)

Ann-Katrin Berger (Chelsea/NJ/NY Gotham and Germany)

Ayaka Yamashita (INAC Kobe Leonessa/Manchester City and Japan)

Cata Coll (Barcelona and Spain)

Mary Earps (Manchester United/Paris Saint-Germain and England)

Best Men’s Coach

Xabi Alonso guided Bayer Leverkusen to a remarkable Bundesliga title (AFP via Getty Images)

Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid)

Lionel Scaloni (Argentina)

Luis de la Fuente (Spain)

Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)

Xabi Alonso (Bayer Leverkusen)

Best Women’s Coach

Emma Hayes has embarked on a new journey as USA coach, after a successful spell at Chelsea (PA Wire)

Arthur Elias (Brazil)

Elena Sadiku (Celtic)

Emma Hayes (Chelsea/USA)

Futoshi Ikeda (Japan)

Gareth Taylor (Manchester City)

Jonatan Giraldez (Barcelona/Washington Spirit)

Sandrine Soubeyrand (Paris FC)

Sonia Bompastor (Lyon/Chelsea)

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