Chris WrightJan 7, 2026, 01:00 PM ET
The campaign is underway to crown the EA Sports FC 26 Team of the Year, which will once again be decided by a fan vote in order to select an XI of both the best men's and best women's players over the course of the past calendar year.
As well as a prestigious place in the Team of the Year, the players selected will receive special TOTY Player Items in-game. EA Sports has also announced the launch of a brand new Captain award, which will see one player from the men's and women's XI recognized for their outstanding effort in 2025, and thus be furnished with further in-game buffs.
The nominees have been announced and voting is now live for the TOTY XI on the official EA Sports FC 26 website, in-game and for the first time across EA Sports FC social media platforms. The winners will then be announced on Jan. 15.
GOALKEEPERS
There are a handful of familiar candidates nominated with seasoned veterans Alisson Becker (Liverpool), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Man City), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) and Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid) all finding their way onto the TOTY XI shortlist once again.
However, there are debuts for young Roma prospect Mile Svilar and Arsenal stopper David Raya, who has seen his impressive clean-sheet record rewarded with a place in the pool.
Alisson Becker
Thibaut Courtois
David Raya
Gianluigi Donnarumma
Manuel Neuer
Jan Oblak
Mile Svilar
Brighton's Chiamaka Nnadozie is the only returning women's entrant from the FC 2025 TOTY shortlist, with previous winner Ann-Katrin Berger failing to repeat the feat in 2026. Elsewhere, England's Euro 2025 hero Hannah Hampton (Chelsea) is among the favorites to take her place between the posts in the 2026 TOTY.
Chiamaka Nnadozie
Hannah Hampton
Christiane Endler
Lorena
Constance Picaud-Inconnu
DEFENDERS
A total of 20 defenders have been included on the shortlist with familiar faces such as Premier League duo William Saliba (Arsenal) and Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), who both return having been included in last year's EA Sports FC team of the year.
Emergent talent Alessandro Bastoni (Inter) is a nominee for the second successive year, while there are debut appearances in the pool for Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea) and Amir Rrahmani (Napoli)
Maximilian Mittelstädt
Nico Schlotterbeck
David Raum
Jonathan Tah
Andrei Rațiu
Dean Huijsen
Jules Koundé
Marcos Llorente
Alessandro Bastoni
Amir Rrahmani
Gabriel Magalhães
Marc Guéhi
Marquinhos
Micky van de Ven
William Saliba
Willian Pacho
Virgil van Dijk
Marc Cucurella
Nuno Mendes
Several experienced internationals are up for nomination in defense with Wendie Renard (OL Lyonnes) perhaps the most experienced and decorated of them all. Several England and Spain stalwarts have also made the grade while the USWNT is fully represented by the likes of Kayla Sharples (Kansas City Current), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit), Izzy Rodriguez (Kansas City Current) and Emily Fox (Arsenal).
Leah Williamson
Lauren
Kayla Sharples
Millie Bright
Wendie Renard
Tara McKeown
Vanessa Gilles
Katie McCabe
Izzy Rodriguez
Olga Carmona
Selma Bacha
Nerea Nevado
Ellie Carpenter
Emily Fox
Giulia Gwinn
Lucy Bronze
MIDFIELDERS
There is no shortage of midfield talent to choose from, with heavyweight mainstays including Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Pedri (Barcelona), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal) and Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain) all in contention.
Scott McTominay's remarkable transformation at Napoli has earned widespread recognition, while the inclusions of Riyad Mahrez (Al Ahli) and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Marseille) stand out as two of the more unexpected selections in the 2026 squad.
Alejandro Grimaldo
Luis Díaz
Michael Olise
Ritsu Doan
Federico Valverde
Frenkie de Jong
Lamine Yamal
Nico Williams
Pedri
Raphinha
Cole Palmer
Evander
Jamal Musiala
Jude Bellingham
Kenan Yildiz
Nico Paz
Angelo Stiller
A stacked midfield pool is likely to be hotly contested this year with Barcelona and Spain pair Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas hoping to keep their places having been voted into the EA Sports FC 2025 TOTY XI together. A number of Euro 2025-winning Lionesses are vying for contention as is evergreen 39-year-old Brazil icon Marta, who is still finding the net regularly for Orlando Pride.
Georgia Stanway
Erin Cuthbert
Keira Walsh
Bernadette Amani
Yui Hasegawa
Patri Guijarro
Taylor Flint
Aitana Bonmatí
Alexia Putellas
Janina Minge
Mariona Caldentey
Kenza Dali
Sakina Karchaoui
Olivia Moultrie
Rose Lavelle
Sam Coffey
Manuela Giugliano
Svenja Huth
Klara Bühl
Sandy Baltimore
Chloe Kelly
Delphine Cascarino
Trinity Rodman
Ella Toone
Laura Freigang
Caroline Weir
Fiamma Benítez
Lindsey Heaps
Marta
Vicky López
Pernille Harder
Selina Vobian
Vanessa Fudalla
ATTACKERS
Forwards
There are goals aplenty shared among a well-stocked forward pool, led by vastly experienced veterans such as Harry Kane, Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior were selected to lead the line in the EA Sports FC 25 TOTY, but both face stiff competition this time around from the likes of Man City powerhouse Erling Haaland and Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé.
Harry Kane
Patrik Schick
Serhou Guirassy
Ayoze Pérez
Julián Álvarez
Kylian Mbappé
Robert Lewandowski
Bradley Barcola
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Son Heung-Min
Vinícius Júnior
Anders Dreyer
Antony
Bryan Mbeumo
Christian Pulisic
Désiré Doué
Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo
Emmanuel Emegha
Erling Haaland
Jean-Philippe Mateta
Karim Benzema
Lautaro Martínez
Moise Kean
Ousmane Dembélé
Romelu Lukaku
Viktor Gyökeres
Barcelona forward Caroline Graham Hansen will be looking to defend her position from last year's TOTY while facing heat from a raft of goal-hungry strikers, not least WSL stars Khadija Shaw (Man City) and Alessia Russo (Arsenal). Amazingly there doesn't seem to be a place for Lauren James (Chelsea), who led the line in the EA Sports FC 2025 team, or for Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal), who cemented her credentials as one of the most creative players in the women's game in 2025.
Clàudia Pina
Tabitha Chawinga
Linda Caicedo
Lineth Beerensteyn
Temwa Chawinga
Caroline Graham Hansen
Elena Julve
Emma Sears
Kadidiatou Diani
Sofia Cantore
Alessia Russo
Alba Redondo
Alexandra Popp
Géraldine Reuteler
Khadija Shaw
Larissa Mühlhaus
Edna Imade
Ewa Pajor
Cristiana Girelli
Esther González
Clara Mateo
Mathilde Bourdieu
Melchie Dumornay
Manaka Matsukubo
Selina Cerci
