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Nominees for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2023 revealed

Less than a month after the final whistle blew at the ninth FIFA Women’s World Cup™ final, the nominations have been announced for the eighth edition of The Best FIFA Football Awards™.
The nominees were shortlisted by a panel of football experts who reviewed longer lists compiled by FIFA based on the candidates’ achievements during the respective award eligibility periods (see below). Voting is now open across the various categories, with the international jury being comprised of national team captains and coaches, journalists, and fans from all over the world.
Performances at the record-breaking FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ are reflected in The Best FIFA Women’s Player nominees. Adidas Golden Ball winner Aitana Bonmatí leads a quartet of Spanish nominees. Four players from tournament runners-up England and a trio of Matildas – who were a victory away from reaching the final on home soil – are also part of a 16-player shortlist.
Half of the candidates for The Best FIFA Men’s Player were part of Manchester City FC’s 2022-23 treble-winning squad, while coach Pep Guardiola, is nominated for The Best FIFA Men’s Coach alongside four of his peers. Meanwhile, the 2021 and 2022 winners of The Best FIFA Women’s Coach – Emma Hayes and Sarina Wiegman – feature among the quintet nominated in this category.
The FIFA Puskás Award is guaranteed to generate hundreds of thousands of votes each year, with the prize recognising the player ‘judged to have scored the most aesthetically significant goal, regardless of championship, gender or nationality and scored without the result of luck or a mistake and in support of fair play.’ The nominees will be announced on 21 September.
The winners of The Best FIFA Women’s Player, The Best FIFA Women’s Coach and The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper will be selected by an international jury comprising the current coaches of all women’s national teams (one per team), the current captains of all women’s national teams (one per team), one specialist journalist from each territory represented by a national team and fans from all over the world registered on FIFA.com.
The winners of The Best FIFA Men’s Player, The Best FIFA Men’s Coach and The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper will be selected by an international jury comprising the current coaches of all men’s national teams (one per team), the current captains of all men’s national teams (one per team), one specialist journalist from each territory represented by a national team and fans from all over the world registered on FIFA.com.
The Best FIFA Women’s Player Nominees
Aitana Bonmatí (Spain); Linda Caicedo (Colombia); Rachel Daly (England); Kadidiatou Diani (France); Caitlin Foord (Australia); Mary Fowler (Australia); Alex Greenwood (England); Jennifer Hermoso (Spain); Lindsey Horan (USA); Amanda Ilestedt (Sweden); Lauren James (England); Sam Kerr (Australia); Mapi León (Spain); Hinata Miyazawa (Japan); Salma Paralluelo (Spain); Keira Walsh (England).
The Best FIFA Men’s Player Nominees
Julián Álvarez (Argentina); Marcelo Brozović (Croatia); Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium); İlkay Gündoğan (Germany); Erling Haaland (Norway); Rodrigo (Rodri) Hernández Cascante (Spain); Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia); Kylian Mbappé (France); Lionel Messi (Argentina); Victor Osimhen (Nigeria); Declan Rice (England); Bernardo Silva (Portugal).
The Best FIFA Women’s Coach Nominees
Peter Gerhardsson (Sweden): Jonatan Giráldez (Spain); Tony Gustavsson (Sweden); Emma Hayes (England); Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands).
The Best FIFA Men’s Coach Nominees
Pep Guardiola (Spain); Simone Inzaghi (Italy); Ange Postecoglou (Australia); Luciano Spalletti (Italy); Xavi (Spain).
The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper Nominees
Mackenzie Arnold (Australia); Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany); Catalina Coll (Spain); Mary Earps (England); Christiane Endler (Chile); Zećira Mušović (Sweden); Sandra Paños García-Villamil (Spain).
The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper Nominees
Yassine Bounou (Morocco); Thibaut Courtois (Belgium); Ederson (Brazil); André Onana (Cameroon); Marc-André ter Stegen (Germany).
The FIFA Fan Award Nominees
Club Atlético Colón de Santa Fe fan (Argentina); Fran Hurndall (England); Miguel Ángel, Millonarios fan (Colombia).
Award Qualifying Periods
The qualifying period for the women’s awards – The Best FIFA Women’s Player, The Best FIFA Women’s Coach and The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper – was from 1 August 2022 to 20 August 2023, the date of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Final.
For the men’s awards – The Best FIFA Men’s Player, The Best FIFA Men’s Coach and The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper – the qualifying period was between 19 December 2022 to 20 August 2023.
When does voting open?
Fan voting in all the above categories will commence on FIFA’s digital platforms on Thursday 14 September when the respective shortlisted nominees are announced, along with the candidates for The FIFA Fan Award. Voting will close at midnight CET on Friday 6 October.
Voting for the FIFA Puskás Award, which will be presented to the scorer of the best goal during the period from 19 December 2022 to 20 August 2023 inclusive, will commence on Thursday 21 September and close at midnight CET on Tuesday 10 October

Ligue 1
NBA Star Durant Invests In PSG

Basketball star Kevin Durant has taken a minority stake in Paris Saint-Germain, the European champions announced Friday, without saying how many shares the power forward had acquired
Kevin Durant, who won gold in the Paris 2024 basketball, has taken a stake in the city’s best-known football club Paris Saint-Germain
The club said in a statement that owners Qatar Sports Investment (QSI) had “signed an investment and strategic partnership agreement with Kevin Durant, one of the most decorated US basketball players of all time and a leading investor in sports and entertainment properties.”
It said Durant would acquire the stake “via his media and investment arm Boardroom”.
The club said QSI would cooperate with Boardroom “on a wide-series of commercial, investment, and content initiatives” including merchandise, media content US and international strategy and “potential Basketball/Multi-Sport expansion.”
“With Kevin, we look forward to developing ambitious initiatives that will drive the continued global growth of Paris Saint-Germain and QSI,” said Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Chairman of QSI.
Durant, 36, is a power forward with the Phoenix Suns. He won two NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors and has four Olympic gold medals, the last from the 2024 Paris Games.
He said in the PSG statement that PSG and Paris were “a Club and a city that is so close to my heart. This club has big plans ahead, and I can’t wait to be a part of the next phase of growth.”
France24.com
News
AFC Completes 5th Coach Education Conference
The AFC has concluded its three-day Coach Education Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, it’s 5thedition, that covered a range of topics aimed at advancing coach education programmes across the confederation.
Titled ‘Shaping the Future of Coach Education’, AFC Technical Director Andy Roxburgh’s keynote address focussed on developing ‘Tomorrow’s Coaches’.
The second day led with a presentation on the membership requirements of the UEFA Coaching Convention, covering aspects such as organising national courses and increasing the percentage of female tutors in the MAs’ coach education landscape.
Debate covered the specific needs of MAs, and the importance of reality-based learning, different styles of leadership, and adapting to technological advancements.
A panel featuring Qatar Football Association (QFA)’s Fahad Abdullah Al Zarraa, Aspire Academy’s Maria Ruiz de Ona, AFC Grassroots and Youth Football Development Consultant Robin Russell, and Education 4 Peace Foundation Founder Mark Milton, highlighted the importance of prosocial responsibility in football.
Participants also received insights into tactical trends and standout individual performances from the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2025, the Champions League Elite, and the Women’s Champions League.
The final day featured presentations by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation Technical Director Nasser Larguet, and the Football Association of Ireland Head of Coach Education Niall O’Regan, who shared insights into their coach education programmes.
“The AFC Coach Education Conference has not only enabled us to exchange ideas but also hear of success stories which undeniably motivate MAs in improving their existing programmes,” said Faye Chambers, Coach Education Instructor at Football Australia .
“Moreover, a lot of work is being done to empower more women coach educators through exclusive courses, and the impact can clearly be seen, as over the years, more and more women are taking up leadership roles in football, which is a clear indication of the progress being made on the Continent.”
Insideworldfootball.com
News
Somalia Set For Historic Beach Soccer Debut

The Somali Football Federation (SFF) has launched training programs for beach soccer coaches and referees under its REACH Initiative, aimed at getting the ball rolling in all corners of the country which is now preparing for its first ever beach soccer tournament.
The minister for youth and sport, Mohamed Abdulkadir Ali, and Somali Football Federation president, Ali Abdi Mohamed, jointly inaugurated the start of the SFF’s first beach soccer development programme on June 18.
Sixteen coaches and 16 referees from the federation’s beach soccer department are benefiting from the 6-day training courses which are being conducted by Salim Jamal Muwonge (coaching instructor) and Bayige Ivan Kintu (refereeing instructor). Both are from Uganda.
“The launch of such training programs shows a historic moment in our country’s footballing sector particularly it is a significant development in the beach soccer department” minister Abdulkadir Ali, said. The minister pointed out that his government is committed to helping SFF in terms of infrastructure development. “The government is working on the establishment of a beach soccer facility.”
Somali Football Federation president, Ali Abdi Mohamed, said that the revival of futsal competitions after years of absence and the start of women’s football in the country were some of the greatest things his administration achieved after his election as president, two years ago.
“Again we stood to get beach soccer going in the country for the first time and the launch of the training programs today is our first step towards that,” said Abdi Mohamed.
Insideworldfootball.com
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