Lionel Messi Cristiano RonaldoGetty/Goal

Goal XI vs Fan XI - Which Dream FIFA 18 World Cup Ultimate Team is better?

The biggest show on earth is just hours away, which means it's time to announce who you chose to be included in your dream FIFA 18 World Cup Ultimate Team!

Fans were asked to vote for the players they thought deserved a place in the line-up in a series of polls on social media last week.

The results made for a truly elite XI, revealed below, but will the selected superstars outperform those chosen by Goal 's editorial team?

FUT World Cup FAN XI FUT World Cup FAN XI

Between the sticks, Spain's David de Gea was the overwhelming favourite amongst fans, with Joshua Kimmich, Sergio Ramos and Brazil teammates Thiago Silva and Marcelo chosen to make up the back four - Mats Hummels, Hugo Lloris and Jordi Alba were among those to miss out.

In midfield, Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne was the firm favourite over Denmark's Christian Eriksen, while Real Madrid duo Casemiro and Toni Kroos were selected over Sergio Busquets and Luka Modric respectively. 

The Egyptian King Mohamed Salah took his place on the right of the attack ahead of French wonderkid Kylian Mbappe, and Brazil's Neymar was voted in over Eden Hazard for the left-wing slot, while Lionel Messi will spearhead the team after edging out his perennial rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

Such a fearsome line-up would take some stopping in Russia, but has Goal's editorial team picked a squad that is equal or even better than the Fan's XI?

Proper GOAL FUT WC XI
De Gea kept his place between the posts for Goal, but only Ramos remained as part of the back four. Alba, Walker and Diego Godin were selected over Marcelo, Kimmich and Silva, all of whom were very popular in the fan vote.

Barcelona midfielder Busquets and Madrid's Modric were chosen ahead of Casemiro and Kroos respectively, with De Bruyne one of five players to be named in both the Fan XI and Goal's XI.

Salah and Neymar were chosen to occupy the wings once again, but Ronaldo got the nod over Messi to lead the line for Goal's XI.

So, which team will reign supreme in Russia? We will track the performance of each throughout the World Cup to see who comes out on top, with the final results announced on July 20. 

The free 2018 FIFA World Cup Update is now available for all FIFA 18 users!