FIFA Football Awards Voting Secrets Revealed: Inside the Nomination Process and Scoring System
The Best FIFA Football Awards celebrate the finest players, coaches and goalkeepers worldwide through an elegant ceremony supported by football's governing organization.
Frequently compared to the Ballon d'Or, the Best FIFA Football Awards compete directly with France Football's honor as the two most prestigious individual recognitions in the sport. The most prominent figures in both men's and women's football, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi alongside Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí, have claimed both distinctions.
The moment has arrived for the upcoming champions of the 2025 Best FIFA Football Awards to be announced in Qatar on Tuesday, Dec. 16. From the distinguished roster of candidates, only a chosen few will have their names announced at Fairmont Katara Hall.
The method for selecting which athletes to celebrate at the event is somewhat more intricate than the Ballon d'Or selection system. Indeed, players and supporters have input in determining the results.
Below are the contenders for the 2025 Best FIFA Football Awards and an explanation of the selection procedure.
Best FIFA Men's Player 2025 Contenders
Similar to the competition for the 2025 Ballon d'Or, Paris Saint-Germain talent Ousmane Dembélé and Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal are the leading candidates to claim the Best FIFA Men's Player recognition.
The French player holds a marginal advantage over the young star, however, and not solely due to the Ballon d'Or currently displayed in his collection; Dembélé contributed to securing PSG's inaugural Champions League title in 2024–25.
Best FIFA Women's Player 2025 Contenders
Bonmatí and Mariona Caldentey, the champion and second-place finisher of the 2025 Ballon d'Or Féminin respectively, spearhead the competition to secure this year's Best FIFA Women's Player recognition.
If the Barcelona midfielder claims the award for the third consecutive year, she will surpass her tie with teammate Putellas to become the first athlete in history to capture the Best FIFA Women's Player honor three times.
Best FIFA Football Awards 2025 Selection System
Four primary groups participate in voting for the Best FIFA Football Awards: coaches, team leaders, media representatives and supporters. Each category represents 25% of the overall count that will decide which athletes conclude the evening with new hardware.
Coaches and Team Leaders
The coaches and team leaders from all 211 FIFA Member Associations' men's national squads will select their top three choices for each of the three men's categories: Best FIFA Men's Player, Best FIFA Men's Coach and Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper.
Likewise, the coaches and team leaders from all 211 FIFA Member Associations' women's national squads will submit their selections for their preferred three candidates for each of the three women's categories: Best FIFA Women's Player, Best FIFA Women's Coach and Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper.
Media Representatives and Supporters
The remaining 50% of the selections originate from various press members and the public. FIFA permits a designated number of reporters who follow the men's and women's competitions to influence the selection of the ceremony's award recipients.
Different from the Ballon d'Or selection process, supporters can also express their preferences. Those who registered at FIFA.com before the cutoff date were permitted to submit their choices for each award to potentially influence the names announced on Tuesday night.
Scoring System
Athletes will earn a specific number of points depending on how each voter positions them in their top three. Each position is given the following score:
The candidate with the highest points total across all four voting categories will be declared the champion of each corresponding award.
Best FIFA Football Awards 2025 Selection Guidelines
The team leaders and coaches of the participating national squads are permitted to select candidates from their own nations. For example, as Portugal's captain, Cristiano Ronaldo may choose Roberto Martínez for the Best FIFA Men's Coach award and Nuno Mendes for the Best FIFA Men's Player award.
In the same way, reporters may select candidates who originate from their nation or who play for clubs from their homeland.
Nevertheless, nominated team leaders and coaches cannot select themselves. France captain Kylian Mbappé, for instance, is prohibited from including his name among his three selections for the Best FIFA Men's Player award.