More than 26,000 professional players from 75 countries voted in the 2026 FIFPro World 11, and the result produced a first for the award: Harry Kane was left out, even though he had 9 appearances, 4 goals and 8 goal contributions across all competitions in 2026.
The voting covered performances from 4 August 2025 to 19 July 2026, with players needing at least 30 official matches to qualify. That helps explain why this was not a token selection, even if the headline still feels strange.
Kane's omission and the record around it
Sky Sport Italia said among the big exclusions was Kane, who became the first Ballon d'Or winner ever to miss out on the top 11. By that count, this is the sharpest wrinkle in the selection, because the omission is not tied to a lack of output. Kane still logged 715 minutes, and his 7.78 rating in Bundesliga play backs up the view that he remained in strong form.
David Raya was the most voted player with 10,278 votes, while Kylian Mbappé collected 9,105, the highest total among outfield players. Lionel Messi also returned to the World 11 for the first time since 2023, taking his career total to 18 appearances.
Spain's influence on the XI
Spain remains the nation with the most appearances in the award's history, and this year's line-up again carried a strong Spanish imprint. Lamine Yamal became the first player with two World 11 appearances before the age of 20, while Barcelona sit top of La Liga with 33 points from 12 matches.
The larger point is that the XI was shaped by a vote across 75 countries, not a narrow panel, and that is what makes the Kane omission stand out so much. Messi's return is the more familiar part of the story, but the selection's edge comes from the names it left out as much as the ones it included.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
