Erling Haaland and Enzo Fernandez are both in the running for the 2026 FIFPRO World 11, but Man City have only two current players on a 26-man shortlist that includes four from Arsenal.
FIFPRO, the world players’ union, revealed the men’s and women’s finalists on Monday. More than 26,000 professional footballers from 75 countries voted for their team of the year, which makes it the only global award decided purely by players.
The vote covers performances from 4 August 2025 to 19 July 2026, and every men’s finalist had to play at least 30 official matches in that time. The winners will be revealed on Monday 9 November from 14:00 CET, which is 1pm in the UK.
Which Man City players are on the FIFPRO World 11 shortlist?
Erling Haaland is listed among the forwards, under Manchester City and Norway. He is the only finalist FIFPRO lists purely as a City player.
Enzo Fernandez is in the midfield group, listed as Chelsea/Manchester City, since the voting period covers his last season at Stamford Bridge before his €145m deadline-day move to the Etihad. The Argentine has been at City for only two months, and he has already spoken about wanting to go back to River Plate one day.
There is a third name with City links. Rodri is listed as Manchester City/Barcelona, after he left the Etihad for Barcelona in August.
On the women’s side, Alex Greenwood is City’s only finalist, among the defenders and listed under Manchester City and England.
Arsenal have four, City have two
The comparison City fans will not enjoy is with Arsenal. The Gunners have four men on the list: David Raya in goal, Gabriel and William Saliba in defence, and Declan Rice in midfield.
Paris Saint-Germain also have four, with Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Barcelona have Pau Cubarsi, Pedri and Lamine Yamal, plus Rodri’s shared listing. Real Madrid have Thibaut Courtois, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe, while Bayern Munich have Dayot Upamecano, Harry Kane and Michael Olise.
City have no goalkeeper or defender on the men’s list at all, which says plenty about how peers saw their back line over that period.
| Club | Men’s finalists |
|---|---|
| Arsenal | Raya, Gabriel, Saliba, Rice |
| Paris Saint-Germain | Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Kvaratskhelia |
| Manchester City | Haaland, Enzo Fernandez (with Chelsea), Rodri (with Barcelona) |
How the World 11 is picked
The team is made up of the goalkeeper, three defenders, three midfielders and three forwards with the most votes. The last place goes to whichever outfield player has the next highest total, so a fourth forward or midfielder can sneak in.
That matters for both City men, because their groups are packed. Enzo Fernandez is one of seven midfielders, alongside Bellingham, Bruno Fernandes, Pedri, Rice, Rodri and Vitinha.
Haaland’s group is even tighter. He is one of eight forwards, with Kane, Kvaratskhelia, Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Olise, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lamine Yamal.
Can Haaland crack the FIFPRO World 11 front three?
We think he has a real chance, but it is far from a given. Three forward spots, plus the spare outfield place, against Mbappe, Kane, Lamine Yamal and the rest is about as hard a contest as football has.
His form this season will not count, since the vote closed in July, but it does show the level he is at. He scored six goals in five games in October and is on City’s October Player of the Month shortlist with Phil Foden and Elliot Anderson.
For Enzo Fernandez, a place in the final XI would be a big surprise among that midfield group. Either way, two finalists against Arsenal’s four is a reminder of how much ground City have to make up, and Maresca’s side have a chance to start on that in Leipzig on Wednesday, as our Man City predicted lineup vs RB Leipzig sets out.
