Spain have placed three players in the fans’ World Cup 2026 team of the tournament, but it was Cape Verde’s goalkeeper Vozinha who produced the biggest surprise by topping the global vote on FIFA’s official website.
The supporters’ selection, run by world governing body FIFA in partnership with sponsor Aramco, saw right-back Pedro Porro, left-back Marc Cucurella and midfielder Rodri included after Spain lifted the World Cup for only the second time in their history.
Vozinha, the Cape Verde No 1, was voted the best goalkeeper of the tournament with close to 40% of ballots cast, finishing ahead of Spain’s Unai Simon, who had officially received the Golden Glove award.
The line-up, chosen entirely by fans worldwide, did not include any player from the Arab nations who took part in the most recent edition of the tournament.
Echoes of Spain’s 2010 dominance
Spanish newspaper AS noted that the outcome revived memories of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, when the official team of the tournament contained five Spain players: Sergio Ramos, Carles Puyol, Joan Capdevila, Sergio Busquets and David Villa.
This time the fan-voted XI features three Spaniards, matching France’s representation with three French players also making the cut.
Despite controversy over some omissions, there was little debate about Rodri’s inclusion. The midfielder was named player of the tournament and anchors a three-man midfield alongside England’s Jude Bellingham and France’s Michael Olise, who finished as the World Cup’s leading assist provider.
Star forwards dominate ballots
In attack, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi unsurprisingly swept up support. Each of the front three received more than 20% of the vote, with Mbappe emerging as the single most-backed player by fans around the globe.
However, England captain Harry Kane was left out of the final XI despite being among the players with the highest individual vote totals, underlining the fierce competition for attacking spots.
At the back, Porro and Cucurella were the two most-voted defenders, explaining the omission of Spanish centre-backs Pau Cubarsi and Aymeric Laporte, whose absence provoked some discussion among supporters and pundits.
Full fans’ World Cup 2026 XI
The fan-selected team of the tournament, as published by FIFA, is:
Goalkeeper:
– Vozinha (Cape Verde)
Defence:
– Pedro Porro (Spain)
– Lisandro Martinez (Argentina)
– Dayot Upamecano (France)
– Marc Cucurella (Spain)
Midfield:
– Rodri (Spain)
– Michael Olise (France)
– Jude Bellingham (England)
Attack:
– Kylian Mbappe (France)
– Erling Haaland (Norway)
– Lionel Messi (Argentina)
FIFA allowed fans to vote for their best XI via its official website, with the poll open worldwide before the final line-up was confirmed and released.
