Jude Bellingham is the only England player to have been named in Fifa's official team of the 2026 World Cup, despite the Three Lions securing their best finish since 1966 with a bronze medal over France on Saturday.
The 23-year-old Real Madrid midfielder made history by scoring seven times during the tournament, becoming England's top scorer in a single World Cup. His haul earned him a place in a star-studded line-up dominated by Premier League talent: Tottenham's Pedro Porro, Manchester City's Rodri and Erling Haaland, and Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez all made the cut.
“Jude Bellingham is the only England player in Fifa's World Cup team of the tournament, as Spain's Unai Simon is overlooked.”
Rodri played a pivotal role in Spain's triumph in the final, while Haaland's performances for Norway and Martinez's for Argentina were rewarded. Marc Cucurella, who sealed a £51.8m move to Real Madrid last month, was named the tournament's standout left-back. Bayern Munich duo Dayot Upamecano and Michael Olise were joined by French teammate Kylian Mbappe, who won the Golden Boot, and Lionel Messi, who completed a dangerous-looking attack after spearheading Argentina to the final.
But the biggest shock is the omission of Spain's World Cup-winning goalkeeper Unai Simon. The Athletic Bilbao shot-stopper kept a clean sheet in the final and conceded only one goal throughout the entire tournament - yet was brutally ignored by fans who voted Vozinha, a journeyman free agent, into the team. Vozinha became a cult hero as minnows Cape Verde reached the last 32, but his inclusion over Simon left many questioning the selection process.