Arsenal had four players on the shortlist for the 2026 FIFPRO Women’s World 11, but only one has made the final team chosen by fellow professionals.
Alessia Russo has been named in the 2026 FIFPRO Women’s World 11, the only current Arsenal player to make the final team after four had been shortlisted.
Russo takes one of the three forward places alongside Claudia Pina of Barcelona and Barbra Banda of Orlando Pride.
Her selection was announced on Monday after 6,511 women’s players from 64 countries took part in the vote, giving Russo recognition directly from her fellow professionals.
Ona Batlle, Emily Fox and Chloe Kelly also made the shortlist but were not included in the final XI.
Russo’s place adds to an already substantial list of individual honours.
She was named England Women’s Player of the Year and selected in the Champions League Team of the Season after scoring nine goals in 12 European appearances last term.
Those performances came as part of a season in which Arsenal finished second in the Women’s Super League and won the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup.
The FIFPRO World 11 differs from awards decided by journalists, supporters or a judging panel because the team is chosen entirely by professional players.
Voters selected the three players they considered the best performers in each of four categories, goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and forward.
The goalkeeper with the most votes qualified alongside the three highest-ranked defenders, midfielders and forwards, with the final place going to the outfield player with the next-highest total. That resulted in four defenders being selected this year.
The period ran from 4 August 2025 to 16 August 2026, with players required to have made at least 20 official appearances.
She is joined in the XI by several of her England team-mates.
Hannah Hampton of Chelsea was selected in goal, while Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood were among the defenders and Ella Toone of Manchester United was included in midfield.
Russo has also been nominated for the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year.
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