Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham are the top three AIPS Outstanding Players of the FIFA World Cup 2026 (Graphics by Nordcap Studio)
AIPS Media
LAUSANNE, July 21, 2026 – Lionel Messi has been crowned the AIPS Outstanding Player of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in a worldwide poll conducted by the International Sports Press Association, in which 472 journalists from 121 countries participated.
The Argentine amassed 1179 points to finish ahead of Kylian Mbappe of France (717 points) and Jude Bellingham of England (470 points).
THE FINAL After 104 matches sprinkled with unforgettable surprises, the FIFA World Cup 2026 came to a thrilling conclusion on Sunday (July 19) with the coronation of Spain as world champions following their 1-0 victory over Argentina. But beyond the scoreline the final match represented a generational shift, with Lionel Messi symbolically passing the baton to Lamine Yamal, the five-month old baby he bathed in 2007.
LIONEL MESSI The 39-year-old Messi arrived at the 2026 World Cup as one of three players making history by competing in their sixth tournament and though he came up one win short of a second consecutive World Cup title, he had already enchanted the world with his exceptionally ageless skills en route to the final.
On Sunday, Messi wept after the defeat to Spain, as Argentina fans chanted his name. “The pain is immense, it will take time for this wound to heal,” he admitted in an Instagram post on Monday. “But I also choose to hold on to all the good things, all matches we turned around by giving everything and moments that will remain in our memories forever.”
Heartbeat He was the heartbeat of Lionel Scaloni’s side, especially in decisive moments, recording eight goals and four assists across the eight games in a tournament where La Albiceleste became experts at snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and enduring rounds of extra time.
The numbers speak for themselves. Messi finished the 2026 World Cup as the player with the second-most goals in World Cup history (men or women) – he has 21 while Mbappé has 22. And he holds the record for the most career assists at the World Cup (12).
Records His fantastic résumé also includes the record for most matches played at the FIFA World Cup (34), most matches won (23), most knockout stage matches played (17) and scoring in nine consecutive World Cup matches.
Messi, the only player to score in the World Cup in his teens, 20s and 30s, definitely left an indelible mark on this year’s tournament despite not winning it.
Across his six World Cup appearances, he led Argentina to the final three times, winning the title in 2022. He is also the only man to have won multiple Golden Balls at the World Cup. He claimed the Silver Ball in 2026.
KYLIAN MBAPPE The 27-year-old Kylian Mbappé was highly instrumental for France as they reached a third straight FIFA World Cup semi-final in 2026, scoring 10 goals to break the all-time World Cup scoring record with a combined 22 goals from three tournaments. France, the 2018 world champions and 2022 runners-up, concluded the 2026 edition without a medal after losing to England in a thrilling third-place playoff that ended with a 6-4 scoreline. But with his brace in that match, the French captain Mbappé would defend his Golden Boot title, becoming the first player to win the tournament’s top scorer award twice and cementing his place as one of the greatest strikers the world has ever seen.
JUDE BELLINGHAM Regarded as one of the world’s greatest midfielders, Jude Bellingham was England’s World Cup hero in 2026, scoring seven goals to lead his country to a third-place finish – the most goals by a midfielder at a World Cup. The 23-year-old now also holds the record for the most goals in a single World Cup edition by an Englishman. His crucial braces versus Mexico in the Round of 16 and against Norway in the quarter-finals made him the first player since Maradona in 1986 to score two goals in back-to-back knockout games.
HOW COLLEAGUES VOTED Eligible voters included all AIPS cardholders, together with all participants in the AIPS World Cup Hotline, ensuring a broad and representative panel of journalists following the tournament from across the globe.
Voters selected the top three footballers of the 2026 World Cup in order of preference, with the highest ranked player getting 5 points followed by 3 points for second and 1 point for third.
Twenty players made the shortlist which was announced on July 13.
Below is the full result of the poll.
Messi Lionel – 1179 points from 301 voters
Mbappé Kylian – 717 points from 245 voters
Bellingham Jude – 470 points from 168 voters
Haaland Erling – 460 points from 180 voters
Yamal Lamine – 304 points from 106 voters
Hernández Cascante Rodrigo – 285 points from 85 voters
Vozinha (Évora Dias Josimar José) – 189 points from 71 voters
Kane Harry – 130 points from 56 voters
Oyarzabal Mikel – 118 points from 46 voters
Olise Michael – 91 points from 37 voters
Hakimi Achraf – 64 points from 24 voters
Dembélé Ousmane – 56 points from 20 voters
Salah Mohamed – 39 points from 13 voters
Bouaddi Ayyoub – 37 points from 15 voters
Diallo Amad – 22 points from 10 voters
Quiñones Julián – 19 points from 7 voters
Odegaard Martin – 15 points from 7 voters
Gill Orlando – 12 points from 6 voters
Embolo Breel – 5 points from 3 voters
Lukaku Romelu – 4 points from 4 voters
COUNTRIES THAT VOTED:
AFGHANISTAN, ALBANIA, ALGERIA, ANGOLA, ARGENTINA, ARMENIA, AUSTRALIA, AUSTRIA, AZERBAIJAN, BANGLADESH, BELARUS, BELGIUM, BENIN, BOLIVIA, BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA, BRAZIL, BULGARIA, BURKINA FASO, BURUNDI, CAMEROON, CANADA, CENTRAL AFRICAN REP.,CHAD, CHILE, CHINA, CHINESE TAIPEI, COLOMBIA, CROATIA, CUBA, CYPRUS, CZECH REPUBLIC, DENMARK, DR CONGO, ECUADOR, EGYPT, ESTONIA, ETHIOPIA, FINLAND, FRANCE, GABON, GAMBIA, GEORGIA, GERMANY, GHANA, GREAT BRITAIN, GREECE, GUATEMALA, GUINEA, HONDURAS, HONG KONG, HUNGARY, INDIA, IRAN, IRELAND, ITALY, IVORY COAST, JAPAN, JORDAN, KAZAKHSTAN, KENYA, KUWAIT, KYRGYZ REPUBLIC, LEBANON, LIECHTENSTEIN, LITHUANIA, LUXEMBOURG, MALAYSIA, MALI, MALTA, MAURITANIA, MEXICO, MOLDOVA, MONGOLIA, MONTENEGRO, MOROCCO, NEPAL, NETHERLANDS, NICARAGUA, NIGER, NIGERIA, NORWAY, OMAN, PAKISTAN, PALESTINE, PANAMA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, PARAGUAY, PERU, POLAND, PORTUGAL, PUERTO RICO, QATAR, ROMANIA, RUSSIA, SAN MARINO, SAUDI ARABIA, SENEGAL, SERBIA, SIERRA LEONE, SLOVAK REPUBLIC, SLOVENIA, SOMALIA, SOUTH AFRICA, SPAIN, SRI LANKA, SUDAN, SURINAME, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND, SYRIA, TANZANIA, TOGO, TUNISIA, TURKEY, TURKMENISTAN, UGANDA, UKRAINE, URUGUAY, USA, YEMEN, ZIMBABWE.
Culled:
