FIFA unveils World Cup Dream XI after global fan vote
Spain, the recent World Cup champions, have three players featured in FIFA‘s official Dream XI, which was selected through a global fan vote. The team highlights top performers from the six-week tournament held across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. While Spain, France, and Argentina dominate the selections, England has one representative.
Jude Bellingham is the sole England player to be included in the Dream XI. The Real Madrid midfielder concluded the tournament with seven goals, marking the highest tally for an England player in a single FIFA World Cup. This contribution helped England achieve their best finish since their 1966 victory. Despite other notable performances from England players, such as Bukayo Saka‘s hat-trick against France and Declan Rice‘s display in the third-place play-off, Bellingham was the only English player voted into the final XI.
Dominance from European and South American Teams
Spain‘s captain, Rodri, leads the midfield in the Dream XI, having also received the Golden Ball award as the tournament’s best player. Spain‘s other representatives are full-backs Marc Cucurella and Pedro Porro. The team completed an unbeaten tournament, culminating in a victory over Argentina in the final.
France, who finished fourth, also has three players in the Dream XI. Kylian Mbappé, the Golden Boot winner, occupies the right side of the attack. He finished the tournament with 10 goals, becoming the first player to win the World Cup Golden Boot twice and surpassing Lionel Messi‘s all-time World Cup scoring record with 22 career goals. Michael Olise secured a midfield spot after recording seven assists, the most by a player in a single FIFA World Cup. Dayot Upamecano completes France‘s presence in central defence.
Beaten finalists Argentina have two players in the XI. Lionel Messi is featured on the left wing, having contributed eight goals and four assists during the tournament. Defender Lisandro Martínez partners Upamecano in the central defence. Completing the front three is Norway striker Erling Haaland, who scored seven goals and helped his country reach their first-ever quarter-final appearance in his World Cup debut.
Unexpected Goalkeeper Selection
One of the more surprising inclusions in the Dream XI is Cape Verde veteran goalkeeper Vozinha. Despite Unai Simón winning the Golden Glove, and England‘s Jordan Pickford and France‘s Mike Maignan also being contenders, fans voted for the 40-year-old Vozinha.
Vozinha emerged as a notable player during Cape Verde‘s run to the Round of 32, where they were narrowly defeated 3-2 by Argentina after extra time. He achieved clean sheets against both Spain and Saudi Arabia and made 18 saves throughout the tournament. His performances also led to a significant increase in his social media following, reportedly surging from approximately 50,000 Instagram followers before Cape Verde‘s opening match against Spain to 29.5 million by the end of the World Cup.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 Dream XI includes:
- Goalkeeper: Vozinha (Cape Verde)
- Defenders: Pedro Porro (Spain), Lisandro Martínez (Argentina), Dayot Upamecano (France), Marc Cucurella (Spain)
- Midfielders: Rodri (Spain), Michael Olise (France), Jude Bellingham (England)
- Forwards: Lionel Messi (Argentina), Erling Haaland (Norway), Kylian Mbappé (France)
Individual honours were also announced, with Rodri claiming the Golden Ball. Messi and Mbappé received the Silver Ball and Bronze Ball, respectively. Mbappé was the Golden Boot winner with 10 goals, while Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón earned the Golden Glove after conceding only one goal in eight matches. Pau Cubarsí was awarded the FIFA Young Player Award, and the Netherlands received the FIFA Fair Play Award for accumulating only three yellow cards during their campaign.
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Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
