The Best FIFA Football Awards: How the voting system works

FIFA will host their annual “The Best” ceremony this Monday to celebrate players and coaches in football. Last year’s winner was Robert Lewandowski, the Polish beat Lionel Messi in back-to-back years. This year’s award is very contested, given there was a World Cup played in the middle of the year.

Unlike the Ballon d’Or, which changed its format this year, “The Best” is given for the natural year, not the tournament year. Meaning that it is from January to December, unlike the French trophy, which is given from September to June. Being fairer to those players who win the big tournament during the year.

Benzema won the Champions League last year. However, since the award was not given in the months following the end of the tournament, he now competes for “The Best” award with Lionel Messi, who had a very weak 2021-2022 year but ended up winning the World Cup with Argentina, giving him an excellent chance of taking the trophy home.

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But how does the voting for the FIFA “The Best” work?

The award differs from the Ballon d’Or in letting fans vote for their favorite player and coach. In this case, fans, coaches of all the national teams, captains of those teams, and 300 journalists worldwide vote for who is the best. Each of the four gets 25% of the selection, making it more open to interpretation.

The Best FIFA Men’s Player finalists

For accomplishments between 8 August 2021 and 18 December 2022.

The Best FIFA Women’s Player finalists

For accomplishments between 7 August 2021 and 31 July 2022.

The Best FIFA Men’s Coach finalists

The Best FIFA Women’s Coach finalists

The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper finalists

Where are The Best FIFA Football Awards hosted?

The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022 will take place in Paris, with the ceremony scheduled to get going at 3 pm ET. For the first time since January 2020, guests will be able to attend the event in person rather than virtually.