FIFA opens voting for best goal of 2026 World Cup; nominee list varies by source

The FIFA 2026 World Cup has concluded with Spain defeating Argentina 1-0 in the final, but the debate over the tournament's best goal continues. FIFA has opened fan voting for the Goal of the Tournament award, with the winner to be announced after July 27. However, the number of nominees and specific entries differ across sources, reflecting possible regional variants or different rounds of the list.

The nominees

Most sources agree on a core set of 12 nominees, including:

• Lionel Messi (Argentina) vs. Algeria
• Julián Álvarez (Argentina) vs. Switzerland
• Kylian Mbappé (France) vs. Senegal
• Jude Bellingham (England) vs. France
• Erling Haaland (Norway) vs. Brazil
• Sidny Lopes Cabral (Cape Verde) vs. Argentina
• Wilson Isidor (Haiti) vs. Morocco
• Kerim Alajbegovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) vs. Qatar
• Daizen Maeda (Japan) vs. Sweden
• Eldor Shomurodov (Uzbekistan) vs. DR Congo
• Elijah Just (New Zealand) vs. Iran
• Ferran Torres (Spain) vs. Argentina Source: excelsiormx

Discrepancies

Some outlets report a longer list of , adding goals from Vinícius Jr. (Brazil), Julián Quiñones (Mexico), Andreas Schjelderup (Norway), and Enzo Fernández (Argentina) . This discrepancy may be due to FIFA publishing separate regional nominations or an initial broader list.