FIFA officially announced today (Sunday) that the Qatari capital, Doha, has been chosen to host The Best FIFA Football Awards 2025 ceremony, the most prominent annual event awaited by football fans to honor the elite players and coaches who excelled during the football season.
Doha... the world's sports capital
In an official statement published on its website, FIFA confirmed that the ceremony will take place on Tuesday evening, December 16, at 8:00 PM Doha and Mecca time. Qatar's selection to host this major event underscores its growing status as a global sports capital, particularly following its outstanding success in organizing the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Doha boasts world-class sports infrastructure and facilities capable of delivering such events in a spectacular fashion.
It coincided with the Intercontinental final
FIFA chose a strategic timing for the ceremony, holding it on the eve of the highly anticipated Intercontinental Cup final between French giants Paris Saint-Germain and Brazilian side Flamengo. This coincidence gives the event double the media and public attention, as the world's eyes will be on Doha to witness the crowning of the world's best player, and then to learn the continental champion the following day.
Unprecedented public participation
In a related development, FIFA revealed record-breaking voting figures for this year's awards, noting that approximately 16 million fans from around the world participated in selecting the winners. This impressive number reflects the growing global engagement with "The Best" awards, which rely on votes from national team captains, coaches, and media representatives, in addition to the public vote, which has become a crucial factor in determining the results.
Star clash: Salah and Hakimi on the list
This year's edition of the award for the world's best player is witnessing fierce competition, with the final shortlist featuring a host of brilliant names who have delivered exceptional performances. The Arab presence is particularly strong, with Egyptian star Mohamed Salah, Liverpool's top scorer, and Moroccan winger Achraf Hakimi, Paris Saint-Germain's star player, vying for the title. They are joined by Hakimi's teammate, Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé, as well as Barcelona's talented duo Rafinha and rising star Lamine Yamal, and Real Madrid's French striker Kylian Mbappé, making it extremely difficult to predict the winner.
Previous winners' list
It is worth noting that the previous edition of the award saw Brazilian star Vinicius Junior, a Real Madrid player, crowned the best player in the world for 2024, while Spanish football dominated the women's awards with Barcelona's Aitana Bonmatí winning the best player award. The Best FIFA Football Awards, which separated from the Ballon d'Or in 2016, are considered one of the most important criteria for evaluating the individual performance of players worldwide.
