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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
Alisson Becker Thibaut Courtois David Raya Gianluigi Donnarumma Manuel Neuer Jan Oblak Mile Svilar
Chiamaka Nnadozie Hannah Hampton Christiane Endler Lorena Constance Picaud-Inconnu
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
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
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
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
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