Tuesday 08 May 2018, 13:25

The World Cup, the last audition to be The Best 

  • The Best player and coach nominees to be announced in late July

  • Performances during Russia 2018 taken into consideration for voting

  • The Best FIFA Football Awards 2018 will take place in London on 24 September

An outstanding campaign of domestic and continental action has seen the stars of world football shine. Now, the eyes of the globe turn to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ as the final chance for players and coaches to prove themselves worthy of being candidates for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2018.

With the nominees to be announced just a few weeks after the Russia 2018 champions will be crowned in Moscow on 15 July, the World Cup – the globe’s biggest footballing stage - serves as the last call for performances worthy of attaining the top individual crowns in the men’s game: The Best FIFA Men’s Player and The Best FIFA Men’s Coach.

It will be an even tougher ask this year for those seeking the top individual playing award in the world of men’s football, with the number of nominees trimmed from 23 to just ten for the 2018 edition.

It is not just the potential nominees to succeed Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane respectively that could be chosen on the back of superlative performances at Russia 2018 though. James Rodriguez took home the 2014 FIFA Puskàs Award after his stunning goal against Uruguay grabbed the world’s attention on the global stage, with fans voting his wonderful effort in the Brazil 2014 Round of 16 as their goal of the year.

The world’s best players between the sticks will also be out to make their mark – Manuel Neuer was memorably voted one of the top three players in the world in 2014, partly on the back of his impressive performances at that year’s World Cup. Guardians of the net now have their own award, with the race well and truly on to succeed inaugural victor Gianluigi Buffon as the Best FIFA Goalkeeper 2018.

The 2014 FIFA/FIFPro World11 was overwhelmingly made up of players who reached the semi-finals of Brazil 2014, with nine of the 11 reaching the final four with their respective nations – and we could see the World Cup have a similar influence for the 2018 edition.

With fans from across the globe flocking to Russia 2018, supporters could make their mark at the global finals too – with the potential for an outstanding fan moment or gesture demonstrated at the global finals to be nominated for the 2018 FIFA Fan Award.

On or off the pitch, fair play is a key facet of any FIFA tournament, not least the World Cup, and any exemplary example of this could be rewarded with a nomination for the 2018 FIFA Fair Play Award.

The nominees for all of these awards will be revealed in late July, with the winners crowned on Monday 24 September in London. Will a World Cup winner also be The Best in 2018?

You can follow the latest updates for The Best during Russia 2018 by following the official The Best FIFA Football Awards Facebook page. We’ll keep you bang up to date with how the top players are performing, share stunning goals and saves as well as outstanding fan moments. What are you waiting for? Hit like!