How does FIFA classify and name its official awards and honors historically?
Executive summary
FIFA’s modern awards program centers on “The Best FIFA Football Awards,” a branded set of prizes (men’s and women’s player, coaches, goalkeepers, Puskás for best goal, Fan Award, and Best XIs) that replaced earlier FIFA player gala formats in 2016–17 and are decided by four equal voting blocs (coaches, captains, specialist journalists, fans) each weighted at 25% [1] [2] [3]. In 2025 FIFA also introduced a newly publicized “FIFA Peace Prize,” announced by President Gianni Infantino in November and first presented in December 2025 amid reporting on close ties between FIFA leadership and U.S. political figures [4] [5] [6].
1. How FIFA names its flagship awards: a branded reset
FIFA presents a unified, branded awards package under the banner “The Best FIFA Football Awards,” which bundles multiple honours — The Best Men’s and Women’s Player, Best Men’s and Women’s Coach, Best Goalkeeper, the FIFA Puskás Award for best goal, the Fan Award, and the Best Men’s and Women’s XIs — rather than a single stand‑alone prize; FIFA markets and runs the 2025 edition under that name and publishes shortlists, voting procedures and nominees on FIFA platforms [1] [7] [8].
2. Voting structure and legitimacy: four equal blocs
FIFA structures voting so that four constituencies — national team coaches, national team captains, specialist journalists and fans — each carry equal electoral weight (25% each) in The Best awards, and FIFA has used a dedicated voting application for recent editions; media outlets like FIFA’s own communications and BBC Sport describe this system as the mechanism for translating shortlists into winners [1] [3].
3. Historical evolution: from World Player Gala to “The Best”
The current “The Best” branding followed reforms after FIFA’s partnership with France Football ended and the organization relaunched its own awards structure in 2016–17; sources note the first ceremony in this modern line was held in January 2017 as FIFA sought to revive its in‑house gala format that previously existed under other names [2] [9].
4. Categories can expand; women’s awards developed recently
FIFA has expanded category coverage in recent years to include separate women’s awards and positions (e.g., a Best Women’s Goalkeeper category introduced in 2019) and annual Best XIs for both genders; reporting on 2025 nominees highlights continued growth and formalisation of those categories in the official FIFA program [9] [1].
5. Timing and scope: calendar‑year assessment and ceremony rhythm
FIFA’s awards typically measure performance across a defined calendar period (for example the 2025 nomination window ran from 11 August 2024 to 2 August 2025 in the BBC’s description) and ceremonies usually take place in the early months of the following year, though individual editions (like 2024) have differed on scheduling [3] [10].
6. New prizes and political flashpoints: the FIFA Peace Prize
In late 2025 FIFA introduced a new, high‑profile FIFA Peace Prize announced by President Gianni Infantino; the first presentation occurred on December 5, 2025 during World Cup draw events and was widely reported because of the recipient and the timing — reporting highlights controversy over selection transparency and Infantino’s public endorsement before the award [4] [6] [5].
7. Controversy, optics and institutional motives
Coverage around the Peace Prize stresses political optics: CNN and Axios reported that Infantino publicly backed the recipient and that the award came as FIFA’s president cultivated relationships with co‑host nation leaders — an arrangement that reporters say could carry practical influence over World Cup logistics — raising questions about the prize’s independence and motives [6] [5]. WorldCupWiki and mainstream outlets document the new prize’s creation, inaugural presentation, and immediate controversies [4] [5].
8. Competing prestige: FIFA awards vs Ballon d’Or
Media observers place The Best awards in direct comparison to the Ballon d’Or, noting both competitions vie for top‑tier prestige; coverage emphasizes that FIFA’s awards remain a landmark yearly ceremony but also that the Ballon d’Or — run by France Football — remains a separate, influential comparator in public conversations about “best player” honours [11].
Limitations and what reporting does not say
Available sources do not mention a complete, single historical catalogue of every FIFA honorific name change prior to 2016 beyond noting the revival intent and first ceremony date for “The Best” in 2017 [2]. Detailed internal selection procedures for the newly created FIFA Peace Prize — e.g., committee makeup, nomination mechanics — are not fully documented in the cited reporting [4] [6]. Where outlets raise concerns about political influence, they rely on public statements and timing rather than disclosure of internal deliberations [5] [6].