Courtois fights for a place among Messi, Ronaldo and Kane

Thibaut Courtois is in contention for a place in the FIFPRO World 11. The goalkeeper of Real Madrid is one of the 26 nominees for the prestigious world eleven, which is entirely assembled based on votes from professional footballers. He competes among goalkeepers against Emiliano Martínez and David Raya.

Courtois is the only Belgian on the full shortlist. The competition is especially fierce, as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane are also among the nominees.

Voting procedure and selection criteria

The names were announced on Monday by the players' union FIFPRO. For this edition, 19,806 professional footballers from 73 countries cast their votes.

They assessed the performances of their peers between 4 August 2025 and 19 July 2026. To be eligible, players had to have completed at least thirty official matches during that period.

The final team will be announced on Monday 9 November. The player with the most votes as goalkeeper, three defenders, three midfielders and three forwards will earn a place. The final spot goes to the outfield player with the most votes who has not yet been selected.

Among the defenders, Virgil van Dijk, Achraf Hakimi and William Saliba are among those listed. In midfield there are nominations for Jude Bellingham, Pedri, Rodri and Bruno Fernandes. Up front, besides Messi and Ronaldo, Haaland, Kane and Lamine Yamal also have a chance at a place.