Dubai To Host 2026 FIFA Best Awards

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed that Dubai will host the 2026 edition of the FIFA best awards.

The FIFA Best Awards honour the top men’s and women’s players, as well as coaches and teams, as voted for by fans, media representatives, captains and national team coaches.

Infantino announced it at the World Sports Summit in Dubai on Monday.

He said: “I can announce here a new partnership we have closed together to honour the best players, coaches and teams, here in Dubai.

“We have enjoyed the sport, and now we will enjoy even more the unity the sport brings to the entire world.”

In the 2025 edition in ⁠Doha, French forward Ousmane Dembele was named as men’s player of the ⁠year and Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati won the women’s award.

The annual FIFA Best Awards celebrate excellence across multiple categories in world football, recognizing outstanding male and female athletes, along with top-performing managers and squads from around the globe.

Winners are determined through a comprehensive voting process that includes input from supporters, journalists, team captains, and national team managers who evaluate performances throughout the year.

Meanwhile, Infantino also defended the cost of World Cup tickets, saying that it reflects the demand for the tournament by football fans.

He said: “We have six to seven million tickets on sale and in 15 days we received 150 million ticket requests.

“So 10 million ticket requests every single day. It shows how powerful the World Cup is.

“In the almost 100 years of the World Cup, Fifa has sold 44 million tickets in total. So, in two weeks we could have filled 300 years of World Cups. Imagine that. This is absolutely crazy.”

Group stage tickets are up to three times the price of those for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, while the cheapest ticket for the final in New Jersey is £3,119.