FIFA have unveiled the final shortlist for the best goal of the 2026 World Cup, the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada that ended last Sunday with Spain lifting the trophy for the second time in their history.
Just 12 goals made the cut from the 308 scored across the tournament, the highest-scoring edition since the World Cup first began in 1930. Football's governing body has thrown the vote open to fans worldwide, inviting them to pick the pick of the bunch from this carefully chosen list.
Voting stays open until 27 July, a full week after the final whistle, giving as many supporters as possible the chance to crown the goal they believe deserves the prize.
Here comes the disappointment. Not a single goal from any of the eight Arab nations that featured at the tournament made the shortlist. Morocco, Algeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunisia, Iraq and Jordan all missed out, despite the strong showings from some of these sides and the fine goals their players struck along the way.
The irony cuts deeper still. Three of the 12 nominated goals were scored against Arab teams, meaning a quarter of the shortlist came at their expense.
Lionel Messi, captain of a runners-up Argentina, leads the nominees with his stunning strike against Algeria in the opening round of Group Ten, one of the three goals that came at the expense of the Arab nations.
Kylian Mbappé also features. The all-time leading World Cup scorer, who claimed the Golden Boot in 2026 with 10 goals, earned his place with a showpiece finish against Senegal in the first round of Group Nine.
Spanish striker Ferran Torres makes the list too, thanks to the only golden goal in the final against Argentina at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the strike that handed his country a second world title after South Africa 2010.
Joining Torres from that final is Argentine forward Julián Álvarez. The Atlético Madrid man scored against Switzerland in the quarter-final, a game that ended with Argentina winning through to the last four.
England's Jude Bellingham is in the running as well. The Real Madrid midfielder struck a beauty against France in the third-place play-off, the match in which the Three Lions took the bronze medal.
Erling Haaland also makes an appearance. Manchester City's lethal Norwegian earned his nomination for an exceptional goal against Brazil in the last 16, the clash that produced a major upset as the Selecao crashed out.
Bosnian Kerim Alajbegovic features next, his fine goal coming against Qatar in the third round of Group Two, the second of the three goals against Arab nations on the list.
Cape Verde forward Sydney Cabral also makes the cut. He scored against holders Argentina in the last 32, one of the tournament's shocks before the Tango recovered to see off the challenge and progress.
Haiti's Wilson Isidor rounds out the trio of goals against Arab sides. His strike against Morocco came in the third round of Group Three.
Two more group-stage goals feature: New Zealand's Elijah Just with a special finish against Iran, and Japan's Daizen Maeda against Sweden.
Uzbekistan's Eldor Shomurodov completes the dozen. His goal against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the group stage rounds off the 12 in contention for the prestigious award.