Spain dominated the ideal line-up for the 2026 World Cup, chosen by fans through voting on the official FIFA website, with three of La Roja's stars making the cut. The goalkeeping position, though, threw up a surprise.
Pedro Porro, Marc Cucurella and Rodri all earned their places after standout performances during the tournament, which ended with Spain crowned world champions for the second time in their history.
Spanish newspaper "AS" noted that the result echoed the 2010 edition, when the ideal line-up featured five Spanish players: Sergio Ramos, Carles Puyol, Joan Capdevila, Sergio Busquets and David Villa.
Vozinha steals the spotlight
The fans delivered a major shock in goal. Cape Verde's Vozinha topped the list of the tournament's best goalkeepers, taking nearly 40% of the votes and edging out Spain's Unai Simon, winner of the Golden Glove at the World Cup.
No players from the Arab teams who took part in the last edition made the line-up.
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Controversial absences
England's Harry Kane missed out despite ranking among the players who received the most votes, while France matched Spain with three players each.
Attacking trio Mbappé, Haaland and Messi each captured more than 20% of the votes, with Mbappé topping the fan poll overall.
The absence of Spanish pair Pau Cubarsí and Aymeric Laporte stirred some controversy, though Porro and Cucurella were the defenders who received the most votes.
Rodri's inclusion sparked no debate. The tournament's best player lined up alongside Bellingham and Olise, who registered the highest number of assists at the World Cup.
FIFA, working with official sponsor "Aramco", handed fans around the world the chance to pick the best 11 players in the tournament through a vote on its website before announcing the final results.
The fans' ideal line-up at the 2026 World Cup
Goalkeeper: Vozinha (Cape Verde).
Defence: Pedro Porro (Spain), Lisandro Martínez (Argentina), Dayot Upamecano (France), Marc Cucurella (Spain).
Midfield: Rodri (Spain), Michael Olise (France), Jude Bellingham (England).
Attack: Kylian Mbappé (France), Erling Haaland (Norway), Lionel Messi (Argentina).