FIFA 23 World Cup Team of the Tournament: Messi, Mbappe headline stars selected in FUT lineup

Kieran Francis

FIFA 23 World Cup Team of the Tournament: Messi, Mbappe headline stars selected in FUT lineup image

As the 2022 World Cup draws to a conclusion with Argentina vs France in the tournament final, EA Sports have released the FIFA 23 Team of the Tournament, featuring 14 players who have impressed in Qatar.

The likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have been selected to receive special FIFA Ultimate Team cards that will be playable in FIFA 23.

The Sporting News runs through who was named in the FIFA 23 World Cup Team of the Tournament.

MORE: Who will win World Cup Golden Ball 2022? Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe among top 5 candidates

Who was selected in the FIFA 23 World Cup Team of the Tournament?

Fourteen players from eight nations have been picked in the FIFA 23 World Cup Team of the Tournament.

Player Nation Position Overall Rating
Lionel Messi Argentina CF 94
Kylian Mbappe France LW 94
Harry Kane England ST 91
Phil Foden England RW 90
Theo Hernandez France LB 89
Cody Gakpo Netherlands ST 88
Diego Dalot Portugal RB 88
Ivan Perisic Croatia LW 87
Denzel Dumfries Netherlands RWB 87
Alexis Mac Allister Argentina CM 86
Josko Gvardiol Croatia CB 86
Gavi Spain CM 86
Yassine Bounou Morocco GK 86
Raphael Guerreiro Portugal LB 85

World Cup finalists Argentina and France are each represented by two players, led by their individual stars Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, who are also duelling it out for the tournament Golden Ball and Golden Boot.

Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister and France semi-final scorer Theo Hernandez are selected players that will also feature in the final.

England have two players picked in attackers Harry Kane and Phil Foden, with the former surprisingly being included after skying his second penalty in the quarter-final against France.

Croatia see a blend of youth and experience named with 20-year-old defender Josko Gvardiol and veteran winger Ivan Perisic among the selection.

Two Portuguese full-backs in Diego Dalot and Raphael Guerreiro were included, while Netherlands had two representatives in Cody Gakpo and Denzel Dumfries.

Spain and Morocco had one player named each - midfielder Gavi and goalkeeper Yassine Bounou respectively.

Is there a World Cup mode in FIFA 23? 

EA Sports have included the World Cup as a game mode within the FIFA 23 release, rather than release a standalone title timed around the Qatar tournament. 

FIFA 23 includes the men’s 2022 World Cup, in addition to the women’s 2023 World Cup, which takes place in Australia and New Zealand next year. 

When did the World Cup mode come to FIFA 23?

EA Sports added their World Cup update to FIFA 23 on November 9 - well in advance of the actual tournament beginning. 

The update will be free for all users and available of all platforms aside from the Nintendo Switch. 

FIFA 23's World Cup mode features all 32 teams that qualified for Qatar but also allows users to add in teams that didn't make it.

Kieran Francis

Kieran Francis Photo

Kieran Francis is a senior editor at The Sporting News based in Melbourne, Australia. He started at Sportal.com.au before being a part of the transition to Sporting News in 2015. Just prior to the 2018 World Cup, he was appointed chief editor of Goal.com in Australia. He has now returned to The Sporting News where his passions lay in football, AFL, poker and cricket - when he is not on holiday.