The Best FIFA Football Awards 2025: List of nominees for soccer prizes as Dembele and Lamine Yamal go head to head again

The Best FIFA Football Awards 2025: List of nominees for soccer prizes as Dembele and Lamine Yamal go head to head again originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

FIFA holds its annual The Best awards ceremony in Doha on Tuesday

The awards are FIFA's rival to the prestigious Ballon d'Or gala, where Ousmane Dembele and three-time winner Aitana Bonmati scooped the big prizes in Paris in September

Paris Saint-Germain winger Dembele and Barcelona Femeni midfielder Bonmati are each in contention for the main awards, while FIFA will also recognised the leading goalkeeper and coach in men's and women's football.

The Puskas Award for the best goal of the year will also be presented at the gala dinner. The complete list of prizes up for grabs is below.

MORE: Complete list of prize winners at the 2024 Ballon d'Or gala

What are The Best FIFA awards?

The Best FIFA Football Awards have been handed out since 2017 as part of FIFA's plan to create an award solely within its organisation.

Briefly, FIFA partnered with France Football for the Ballon d'Or award, but that arrangement ended in 2016. Football's world governing body then embarked on its own set of awards for the top players and coaches in the sport.

The Ballon d'Or has been in circulation since 1956, and despite FIFA's global standing as a football entity, The Best awards still have some catching up to do to be considered of the same prestige as the Ballon d'Or.

The Best FIFA Football Awards 2025 nominees, final shortlists, prizes

Best FIFA Men's Player

Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele is in contention to do the double on the 11-man shortlist. The France winger is one of four PSG nominees following the French giants' treble season, while Lamine Yamal is among a Barcelona trio.

• Ousmane Dembele (PSG / France)
• Achraf Hakimi (PSG / Morocco)
• Harry Kane (Bayern Munich / England)
• Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid / France)
• Nuno Mendes (PSG / Portugal)
• Cole Palmer (Chelsea / England)
• Pedri (Barcelona / Spain)
• Raphina (Barcelona / Brazil)
• Mohamed Salah (Liverpool / Egypt)
• Vitinha (PSG / Portugal)
• Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)

Best FIFA Women's Player

Spain star Aitana Bonmati claimed her third successive Ballon d'Or Feminin in 2025 and is looking to make it a double-treble by retaining the FIFA prize.

• Sandy Baltimore (Chelsea / France)
• Nathalie Bjorn (Chelsea / Sweden)
• Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona / Spain)
• Lucy Bronze (Chelsea / England)
• Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal / Spain)
• Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current / Malawi)
• Kadidatou Diani (Lyon / France)
• Melchie Dumornay (Lyon / Haiti)
• Patri Guijarro (Barcelona / Spain)
• Lindsey Heaps (Lyon / USA)
• Lauren James (Chelsea / England)
• Chloe Kelly (Arsenal / England)
• Ewa Pajor (Barcelona / Poland)
• Claudia Pina (Barcelona / Spain)
• Alexia Putellas (Barcelona / Spain)
• Alessi Russo (Arsenal / England)
• Leah Williamson (Arsenal / England)

Best FIFA Men's Coach

Arne Slot has had a tough time at Liverpool so far this term, but the Dutchman's Premier League title win in his maiden season at Anfield has got him in the mix for the men's coach award.

• Javier Aguirre (Mexico)
• Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
• Luis Enrique (PSG)
• Hansi Flick (Bayern Munich)
• Enzo Maresca (Chelsea)
• Roberto Martinez (Portugal)
• Arne Slot (Liverpool)

Best FIFA Women's coach

Sarina Wiegman, winner in 2022 and 2023, is back in the mix after leading England to a successful defence of their Euros title. 

• Sonia Bompastor (Chelsea)
• Jonatan Giraldez (Barcelona)
• Seb Hines (Orlando Pride)
• Renee Slegers (Arsenal)
• Sarina Wiegman (England)

Best FIFA Men's goalkeeper

Two-time winner Emiliano Martinez has the chance to retain his prize. Gianluigi Donnarumma, 2023 winner Ederson's replacement at Manchester City, is in contention having won the Ballon d'Or's Yashin Trophy for his exploits at PSG last season.

• Alisson (Liverpool / Brazil)
• Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid / Belgium)
• Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG / Man City / Italy)
• Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich)
• David Raya (Arsenal / Spain)
• Yann Sommer (Inter Milan / Switzerland)
• Wojciech Szczesny (Barcelona)

Best FIFA Women's goalkeeper

England's Euro 2025 hero Hannah Hampton is among the nominees, having also enjoyed a superb season as Chelsea swept to a domestic treble in England.

• Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham / Germany)
• Cata Coll (Barcelona / Spain)
• Christiane Endler (Lyon / Chile)
• Hannah Hampton (Chelsea / England)
• Anna Moorhouse (Orlando Pride / England)
• Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC / Nigeria)
• Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Man United / USA)

FIFA Puskas Award

The FIFA Puskas Award is always highly sought-after as it honours the best goal scored that year. In 2024, this became a men-only award, as a separate women's category was launched.

• Alerrandro (Vitoria vs. Cruzeiro)
• Alessandro Deiola (Cagliari vs. Venezia)
• Pedro de la Vega (Cruz Azul vs. Seattle Sounders)
• Santiago Montiel (Independiente vs. Independiente Rivadavia)
• Amr Nasser (Costa Rica vs. Honduras)
• Carlos Orrantia (Queretaro vs. Atlas)
• Lucas Ribeiro (Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Borussia Dortmund)
• Declan Rice (Arsenal vs. Real Madrid)
• Rizky Ridho (Persija Jakarta vs. Arema)
• Kevin Rodrigues (Kasimpasa vs. Rizespor)
• Lamine Yamal (Espanyol vs. Barcelona)

FIFA Marta Award

The Marta Award is given to the most aesthetically pleasing goal in the women's game this year.

• Jordyn Bugg (North Carolina Courage vs. Seattle Reign)
• Mariona Caldentey (Lyon vs. Arsenal)
• Ashley Cheatley (Brentford vs. Ascot United)
• Kyra Cooney-Cross (Germany vs. Australia)
• Jon Ryong-jong (North Korea U-20 vs. Argentina U-20)
• Marta (Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current)
• Vivianne Miedema (Wales vs. Netherlands)
• Kishi Nunez (Argentina U-20 vs. Costa Rica U-20)
• Lizbeth Ovalle (Tigres vs. Guadalajara)
• Ally Sentnor (USA vs. Colombia
• Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw (Hammarby vs. Man City)

FIFA Men's and Women's 11

The Best FIFA Men's and Women's 11 lineups will be announced at the ceremony. These are decided purely via a fan vote.

FIFA Fan Award

The FIFA Fan Award is given to a fan or group of supporters who "help make the beautiful game exactly that".

• Alejandro Ciganotto (Racing Club de Avellaneda)
• Manuel Caceres (Spain)
• Zakho SC fans

FIFA The Best former winners

Below are full tables of former winners in the main awards since 2016.

The Best FIFA Men's Player Award

The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper Award

The Best FIFA Men's Coach Award

The Best FIFA Women's Player Award

The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper Award

The Best FIFA Women's Coach Award

FIFA Puskas Award — the prize for the best men's goal

FIFA Marta Award — the prize for the best women's goal