Team of the Year (TOTY) is always one of the biggest promotions on the EA FIFA calendar and the 11 names have finally been released by EA Sports.
A total of 80 players were in the running to be recognized as the best players from last year with a chance to earn a place onto the FIFA 22 FUT Team of the Year. The polls were open on Jan. 10 and closed eight days later, with the final voting results unveiled on Thursday, Jan. 20.
Team Of The Year player items go live in the FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) game mode in the week after the announcement, starting with attacking players on Friday, Jan. 21.
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Below is the full list of XI players named along with everything you need to know about FIFA's Team of the Year, how it works, and why it's good news for gamers.
🏆 Football's best, decided by you.
— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) January 20, 2022
This is your #TOTY. pic.twitter.com/eyK03VbFgh
TOTY FIFA 22: All the names
The FUT 22 Team of the Year, with a 4-3-3 formation, features the top players in the world. The team, released on Jan. 20 includes the following players:
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| GK | Gianluigi Donnarumma | PSG |
| FB | Joao Cancelo | Man City |
| CB | Ruben Dias | Man City |
| CB | Marquinhos | PSG |
| FB | Achraf Hakimi | PSG |
| CM | Jorginho | Chelsea |
| CM | N'Golo Kante | Chelsea |
| ACM | Kevin De Bruyne | Man City |
| FW | Kylian Mbappe | PSG |
| FW | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich |
| FW | Lionel Messi | PSG |
Paris Saint-Germain leads the way with a whopping five players on the list, including the goalkeeper and two defenders. Man City has three players in the mix as well, including two defenders. Chelsea's midfield duo is also represented, and Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski rounds out the list.
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Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo was left off, as were Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema, and Bayern defender David Alaba. No Spanish club was represented, with both Madrid and Barcelona shut out. Italian clubs were left on the sidelines as well, despite Inter's fantastic season.
What is the EA FIFA Team of the Year?
The FUT Team of the Year is a special-edition squad of the best-performing players from the previous calendar year. The EA FIFA 22 FUT Team of the Year celebrates the best players of 2021 and those players will get significant upgrades in the game.
The 11 players chosen in the Team of the Year, as well as a 12th player voted by the fans, will now be among the highest-rated players in the game until the next edition of the game (FIFA 23) is released.
As a result, these players are hugely popular in the game and many people save up their packs to open them during the Team of the Year promotion in the hope of packing one of these elite players.
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Team of the Year SBCs and upgrades
In addition to the Team of the Year and the 12th player, additional upgraded players will be available through Squad Building Challenges (SBCs) and Objectives. The SBC's have yet to be revealed.
These are usually TOTY Flashback players, celebrating players who were either in previous Team of the Year squads, or else TOTY Moments players, which are awarded to players who had significant and memorable moments throughout the year.
These SBCs are usually available for a limited time only, while there also tends to be a special SBC for the TOTY kit which can only be redeemed during the Team of the Year promotion.
