It's the FIFA Best Awards – and London will host this year's edition of the governing body's annual awards show
(Image credit: Michael Regan - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
The great and good of football will descend on London on Monday evening alongside a fleet of the game's administrators to find out who will take home the prizes from the 2023 edition of the Best FIFA Awards.
The awkwardly-titled awards will celebrate achievement in both the men's and women's game in (most of) 2023 with Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Aitana Bonmati, Linda Caicedo and Jennifer Hermoso all up for their respective individual awards.
Here's everything you need to know about the ceremony, including who's nominated for what and how you can watch along if you absolutely have nothing better to do with your time.
What is the FIFA Best Awards?
Forward Cristiano Ronaldo stands with the trophy after winning The Best FIFA Men's Player of 2017 Award (Image credit: BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)
Created in 2016, the awards were initially a renewed effort by FIFA to have their own awards show having briefly collaborated with the Ballon d'Or (more on which later).
The FIFA Best Awards are effectively a successor to the World Player Gala awards, which were handed out from 1991-2009, with many of the awards sharing a spiritual lineage to the Gala awards.
This year the men's awards are based on the period from 19th December 2022 to 20th August 2023 (last year's timeframe having been extended to include the World Cup), while the women's awards are from 1st August 2022 to 20th August 2023.
What awards will be given at the FIFA Best Awards and who's nominated?
Aitana Bonmati is in the running for more silverware (Image credit: Getty Images)
The final nominees for each award are as follows:
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Women's player: Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona/Spain), Linda Caicedo (Deportivo Cali, Real Madrid/Colombia) and Jennifer Hermoso (Pachuca/Spain)
Men's player: Erling Haaland (Manchester City/Norway), Kylian Mbappe (PSG/France) and Lionel Messi (PSG, Inter Miami/Argentina)
Women's coach: Sarina Wiegman (England), Emma Hayes (Chelsea) and Jonatan Giraldez (Barcelona)
Men's coach: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Simone Inzaghi (Inter) and Luciano Spalletti (Napoli/Italy)
Women's goalkeeper: Mackenzie Arnold (West Ham/Australia), Catalina Coll (Barcelona/Spain) and Mary Earps (Manchester United/England)
Puskas award (best goal): Julio Enciso (Brighton), Guilherme Madruga (Botafogo) and Nuno Santos (Sporting). And no, not Alejandro Garnacho.
FIFA Fan award: Fran Hurndall, who dribbled a ball 1,000 kilometres from the Gold Coast to Sydney to raise money for charity and inspire female participation in sport. Miguel Angel, a Colombian boy whose final wish before dying was to meet the players from his favourite side Millonairos. And, erm, an unidentified Colon fan from Argentina who took a baby to a game. Yeah good luck mate.
Who votes for these awards?
The FIFA Best Awards are split in voting (Image credit: Getty Images)
Voting is split evenly between four groups, who each account for 25% of the ballot. Those groups are:
National team players
National team captains
Selected journalists
Fans voting on the FIFA website
The Puskas award is voted for by pundits.
Where does the Ballon d'Or fit into this?
The Ballon d'Or is separate from FIFA's award ceremony (Image credit: Getty Images)
It doesn't.
A creation of France Football magazine, the 68-year-old award was merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year and thus officially recognised by FIFA from 2010 to 2015, before splitting back away from FIFA in 2016, when the world governing body instituted The Best awards.
Now operating judged on the basis of a winter season (one summer to the next), the Ballons d'Or for 2023 were awarded to Lionel Messi and Aitana Bonmati.
Where can I watch the FIFA Best Awards?
Erling Haaland looks set for a FIFA Best Award (Image credit: Getty Images)
UK-based fans of the self-congratulation and glitzy hyperbole of awards shows will be delighted to know they can tune in to watch on BBC iPlayer from 7:30pm on Monday.
Steven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.
