Spain may have lifted the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy after defeating Argentina 1-0 after extra time in New Jersey, but the tournament’s top performers were also recognized after FIFA revealed its official Dream XI.The Team of the Tournament, selected through a worldwide fan vote, reflects the top performers from six weeks of soccer in the United States, Canada and Mexico. While Spain, France and Argentina dominate the selection after reaching the semi-finals, third place England has been awarded with only one representative.Jude Bellingham is the only English player to make FIFA’s Dream XI despite Thomas Tuchel’s side finishing the tournament on a high with a remarkable 6-4 win over France in the third place play-off.
Bellingham flies the flag of England
Bellingham’s inclusion comes after another outstanding major tournament for the Real Madrid midfielder.The 23-year-old finished with seven goals, the highest ever tally by an England player in a single FIFA World Cup, helping the Three Lions secure their best finish since winning the tournament in 1966.Despite England producing several outstanding performers, including Bukayo Saka’s historic hat-trick against France and Declan Rice’s record-breaking third play-off place, Bellingham was the only English player voted into the final XI.
Spain, France and Argentina dominate the selections
Fresh from captaining Spain to their second World Cup title, Rodri leads the midfield after also winning the Ballon d’Or as the tournament’s best player.Spain have three representatives in total, with both defenders Marc Cucurella and Pedro Porro joining their captain in the squad after Luis de la Fuente’s men completed a tournament unbeaten run by defeating Argentina in the final.France also provided three players despite finishing fourth.Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappé mans the right side of attack after finishing the tournament with 10 goals, becoming the first player to win the World Cup Gold Cup twice, while also breaking Lionel Messi’s all-time World Cup scoring record with 22 career goals.Michael Olise takes one of the midfield positions after producing a record campaign of his own. The France playmaker finished the tournament with seven assists, the most recorded by a player in a single FIFA World Cup.Dayot Upamecano completes the contingent of France in central defense.Argentina, beaten finalists after Ferran Torres’ winner in the 106th minute, have two players in the XI.Lionel Messi appears on the left wing after finishing the tournament with eight goals and four assists, while the defender Lisandro Martínez partners Upamecano in the heart of the defense.Completing the front three is Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, who marked his World Cup debut by firing his country to a historic first quarter-final appearance while scoring seven goals during the tournament.
The Cape Verdean cult hero earns a goalkeeper position
Perhaps the biggest surprise in the Dream XI is the selection of the goalkeeper.Instead of the Golden Glove winner Unai Simón, the English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford or the French Mike Maignan, the fans voted for the Cape Verdean veteran Vozinha.The 40-year-old became one of the stars of the tournament during Cape Verde’s memorable run to the Round of 32 before narrowly losing 3-2 after extra time to eventual finalists Argentina.Vozinha kept clean sheets against Spain and Saudi Arabia, made 18 saves throughout the tournament and exceeded his expected goals against figure by 0.9.His performances also made him an unlikely social media sensation. According to tournament figures, the goalkeeper started Cape Verde’s opening match against Spain with around 50,000 Instagram followers. After producing seven saves against the eventual champions and continuing his impressive campaign, that number reached 29.5 million by the end of the World Cup.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Dream XI
GoalkeeperDefenders
- Pedro Porro (Spain)
- Lisandro Martinez (Argentina)
- Dayot Upamecano (France)
- Marc Cucurella (Spain)
Midfielders
- Rodri (Spain)
- Michael Olise (France)
- Jude Bellingham (England)
Go ahead
- Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- Erling Haaland (Norway)
- Kylian Mbappé (France)
The Dream XI rounds up the individual honors after the conclusion of the tournament.Rodri claimed the Golden Ball as the competition’s best player after leading Spain to the title, with Messi and Mbappé receiving the Silver Ball and Bronze Ball respectively.Mbappé finished as the Golden Boot winner with 10 goals, ahead of Messi, who finished the tournament with eight goals and four assists, while Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simón received the Golden Glove after conceding just one goal in eight games. Teenage defender Pau Cubarsí received the FIFA Young Player Award, and the Netherlands were recognized with the FIFA Fair Play Award after receiving just three yellow cards throughout their campaign.