Doha will be the stage where FIFA will celebrate a new edition of The Best awards, a ceremony intended to recognize the most outstanding protagonists of world football during the last season. The event will bring together approximately 800 guests, including FIFA President Gianni Infantino, members of the FIFA Council, football legends, and representatives from affiliated federations, as well as leading figures in international football. Get 20% off UEFA Champions League broadcasts in Spanish on DAZN. The Best FIFA Football Awards gala will take place this Tuesday, December 16, at the Katara Hall of the Fairmont Hotel in Doha. The ceremony will begin at 11:00 AM Central Time (Mexico), 9:00 AM Pacific Time (West), 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US), and 8:00 PM local time in Qatar. The event can be followed live on the official FIFA.com website, which will offer the broadcast for fans worldwide. The winners will be determined by a voting system that combines four equally weighted groups: coaches and captains of the 211 men's and women's national teams affiliated with FIFA, representatives of the specialized press, and fans registered on the organization's official platform. Each of these groups contributes 25% of the final result, a system FIFA maintains to balance the opinions of experts and fans. The nominees and absences that mark the 2025 edition include the FIFA Men's and Women's Player of the Year awards, the FIFA Men's and Women's Coach of the Year awards, and the Best Goalkeeper awards for both men and women. Special awards will also be given, such as the Puskas Award, the Marta Award, the Best Fans Award, and the Fair Play Award. In the women's category, the list of nominees includes established figures and talents who have shone in clubs and national teams, such as Aitana Bonmati, Alexia Putellas, Lucy Bronze, Patri Guijarro, and Mariona Caldentey, as well as representatives from England, France, Sweden, the United States, Haiti, and Malawi, among other countries.

For the FIFA Men's Player award, names like Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, Pedri, and Lamine Yamal stand out, in a list that reflects the influence of clubs like PSG, Barcelona, ??Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and Real Madrid. The absence of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is notable, as they are not among the eleven finalists this year.

In the coaching categories, candidates appear from both club and national team football. In men's football, coaches like Javier Aguirre, Mikel Arteta, Luis Enrique, Hansi Flick, and Roberto Martinez are featured, while in women's football, Sonia Bompastor, Sarina Wiegman, and Jonatan Giraldez are prominent.