FUT Team of the Year is one of the most eagerly anticipated Ultimate Team features and the FIFA 23 edition is no different. The year 2022 drew to a close with the World Cup and there were plenty of standout performers with many late shouts for the shortlist.
So what exactly is FIFA Ultimate Team of the Year, which players have been nominated this year and how does it work?
GOAL brings you everything you need to know, including how to vote for your team.
FIFA 23 Ultimate Team of the Year
The FUT 23 Team of the Year was announced on January 19, 2023 following a fan vote.
There were few surprises, with Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe leading the line.
Kevin De Bruyne, Jude Bellingham and Luka Modric figure as the midfield three, while Virgil van Dijk partners Eder Militao in centre-back, with Theo Hernandez and Achraf Hakimi as full-backs. Thibaut Courtois is the goalkeeper.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Thibaut Courtois |
| Defenders | Theo Hernandez, Virgil van Dijk, Eder Militao, Achraf Hakimi |
| Midfielders | Kevin De Bruyne, Jude Bellingham, Luka Modric |
| Forwards | Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe |
What is FIFA Ultimate Team of the Year?
The FIFA Ultimate Team of the Year is a special edition collection of 11 players in FUT who are voted as the best performers in the previous 12 months.
FIFA 23's Ultimate Team of the Year will feature the best players from 2022 and their cards will be given massive upgrades in the game as a result.
These 11 players, as well as the '12th player' voted for by fans will be the highest-rated players in FIFA 23 until the release of the next game.
FIFA 23 Ultimate Team of the Year nominees
Messi, Mbappe and Erling Haaland were among the TOTY nominees after enjoying impressive years.
There was a spread of representation from across the Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, Bundesliga and Serie A.
A number of Messi's Argentina team-mates made the shortlist after their World Cup triumph, with goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and Benfica's Enzo Fernandez among the Albiceleste representatives.
Neymar, De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah featured, as did Harry Kane, Bruno Fernandes, Van Dijk and Alphonso Davies. Cristiano Ronaldo was a notable absentee, however, after enduring a difficult 2022.
You can see the full list of 100 nominees by position below.
Goalkeepers
| Player | Team |
|---|---|
| Thibaut Courtois | Real Madrid |
| Gregor Kobel | Borussia Dortmund |
| Mike Maignan | AC Milan |
| Alisson | Liverpool |
| Ederson | Manchester City |
| Wojciech Szczesny | Juventus |
| Kevin Trapp | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| Yassine Bounou | Sevilla |
| Hugo Lloris | Tottenham |
| Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa |
Defenders
| Player | Team |
|---|---|
| Marquinhos | PSG |
| Cristiano Biraghi | Fiorentina |
| Joao Cancelo | Manchester City |
| Thiago Silva | Chelsea |
| Alphonso Davies | Bayern Munich |
| Jeremie Frimpong | Bayer Leverkusen |
| Eder Militao | Real Madrid |
| Ruben Dias | Manchester City |
| Grimaldo | Benfica |
| Achraf Hakimi | PSG |
| Theo Hernandez | AC Milan |
| Kalidou Koulibaly | Chelsea |
| Nicolas Otamendi | Benfica |
| Bremer | Juventus |
| Niklas Sule | Borussia Dortmund |
| Fikayo Tomori | AC Milan |
| Kieran Trippier | Newcastle United |
| Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool |
| Josko Gvardiol | RB Leipzig |
| Jules Kounde | Barcelona |
| Cristian Romero | Tottenham |
| Dayot Upamecano | Bayern Munich |
| Jonathan Clauss | Marseille |
| Reece James | Chelsea |
| Marcos Acuna | Sevilla |
Midfielders
| Player | Team |
|---|---|
| Nicolo Barella | Inter |
| Jude Bellingham | Borussia Dortmund |
| Steven Berghuis | Ajax |
| Marcelo Brozovic | Inter |
| Bernardo Silva | Manchester City |
| Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City |
| Moussa Diaby | Bayer Leverkusen |
| Nabil Fekir | Real Betis |
| Seko Fofana | Lens |
| Pedri | Barcelona |
| Vincenzo Grifo | Freiburg |
| Rodri | Manchester City |
| Daichi Kamada | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| Joshua Kimmich | Bayern Munich |
| Filip Kostic | Juventus |
| Toni Kroos | Real Madrid |
| Sadio Mane | Bayern Munich |
| Merino | Real Sociedad |
| Sergej Milinkovic-Savic | Latium |
| Luka Modric | Real Madrid |
| Martin Odegaard | Arsenal |
| Parejo | Villarreal |
| Declan Rice | West Ham |
| Bukayo Saka | Arsenal |
| Aurelien Tchouameni | Real Madrid |
| Sandro Tonali | AC Milan |
| Federico Valverde | Real Madrid |
| Casemiro | Manchester United |
| Sofyan Amrabat | Fiorentina |
| Bruno Fernandes | Manchester United |
| Ritsu Doan | Freiburg |
| Enzo Fernandez | Benfica |
| Ivan Perisic | Tottenham |
| Adrien Rabiot | Juventus |
| Lorenzo Pellegrini | Roma |
Attackers
| Player | Team |
|---|---|
| Iago Aspas | Celta Vigo |
| Wissam Ben Yedder | Monaco |
| Karim Benzema | Real Madrid |
| Rafael Leao | AC Milan |
| Neymar | PSG |
| Vinicius Jr | Real Madrid |
| Ousmane Dembele | Barcelona |
| Joao Felix | Atletico Madrid |
| Gabriel Jesus | Arsenal |
| Phil Foden | Manchester City |
| Cody Gakpo | Liverpool |
| Erling Haaland | Manchester City |
| Borja Iglesias | Real Betis |
| Ciro Immobile | Latium |
| Harry Kane | Tottenham |
| Randal Kolo Muani | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| Dejan Kulusevski | Tottenham |
| Robert Lewandowski | Barcelona |
| Lautaro Martinez | Inter |
| Kylian Mbappe | PSG |
| Lionel Messi | PSG |
| Christopher Nkunku | RB Leipzig |
| Darwin Nunez | Liverpool |
| Victor Osimhen | Napoli |
| Mohamed Salah | Liverpool |
| Heung-min Son | Tottenham |
| Martin Terrier | Rennes |
| Dusan Vlahovic | Juventus |
| Olivier Giroud | AC Milan |
| Antoine Griezmann | Atletico Madrid |
How to vote for the FIFA Ultimate Team of the Year
You could vote for your TOTY by going to the official EA Sports FIFA 23 website.
Voting opened to the public on January 10, 2023.
When is FIFA Ultimate Team of the Year released?
The FIFA 23 Ultimate Team of the Year was released on January 19, 2023.
What was the FIFA 22 Team of the Year?
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Attackers | Kylian Mbappe, Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi |
| Midfielders | Kevin De Bruyne, N'Golo Kante, Jorginho |
| Defenders | Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Marquinhos, Achraf Hakimi |
| Goalkeeper | Gianluigi Donnarumma |
The FUT 22 Team of the Year featured five Paris Saint-Germain players, three from Manchester City, two from Chelsea and one from Bayern Munich.
Up front, Messi and Mbappe flanked Robert Lewandowski in the front three, with Kevin De Bruyne, Jorginho and N'Golo Kante behind them in midfield.
The defence was half PSG and half Man City, with Marquinhos, Achraf Hakimi, Ruben Dias and Joao Cancelo forming the back four, while Gianluigi Donnarumma was in goal.