Lucy Bronze Named in Women's World 11 for Record Ninth Time
Lucy Bronze Named in Women's World 11 for Record Ninth Time
Lucy Bronze has been picked for the FIFPRO Women's World 11 for a record ninth time. England have five players in the team, and the defender is one of them.
The team is chosen by the players themselves. FIFPRO, the global union for professional footballers, ran the vote, and the BBC reported that 6,511 female players from 64 countries took part. Only players with at least 20 appearances were eligible. Votes covered performances from 4 August 2025 to 16 August 2026.
The team works like this. The most-voted goalkeeper takes one place, then three defenders, three midfielders and three forwards are chosen, with one more outfield player added from the next highest votes.
Hannah Hampton of Chelsea and England is the goalkeeper. The defenders are Bronze, Alex Greenwood of Manchester City and England, Spain's Irene Paredes, and Mapi Leon. Paredes is back in the team for the first time since 2017.
In midfield, Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas of Spain are joined by England's Ella Toone. Up front are Claudia Pina of Spain, England's Alessia Russo, and Zambia's Barbra Banda. Banda has now been picked for the third time. She is the only player in the team who is based outside England or Spain.
Bronze's record run is long. In 2025 she passed France's Wendie Renard for most appearances in the award's history, and this year she extended it again. FIFPRO noted that she needed time to recover from a stress fracture in her tibia, the long bone in the lower leg, after UEFA Women's EURO 2025. England went on to win that tournament with Bronze in the squad.
England's presence in the team is strong by any measure. FIFPRO's own figures show England has more appearances in the award's history than any other country, with 28 from 12 players. The award was set up in 2016, so its history is still a short one.
The wider picture is one of shared pride across the squad. Spain has three players in the XI, England has five, and the list also reaches Zambia. A team voted on by thousands of players from dozens of countries tends to reflect where the game is strong. It also shows which players their rivals most want to face.
For fans, the team is a useful guide to who has stood out over the past year. Bronze's ninth selection is a record that few players in any era will match, and it will be talked about in England for a long time. Other players, from Hampton's goalkeeping to Banda's goalscoring, have their own reasons to be pleased.
