FIFA changes World Cup Player of the Match award for eight players
FIFA has made a thoughtful and respectful change to the Player of the Match award for some players in the 2026 World Cup.
This year’s tournament, with 48 teams competing in the US, Mexico, and Canada, will give out 104 Player of the Match awards. So far, 36 have gone to stars like Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, and Michael Olise. US player Folarin Balogun has even won it twice!
Fans pick the winner through an online vote, and the award is sponsored by the beer brand Michelob ULTRA. After each game, the winning player gets their award and takes a photo, which is shared on the FIFA World Cup’s social media pages. Michelob ULTRA also shares winner highlights on X (formerly Twitter), just like they did during last year’s Club World Cup.
But for some players, things look a little different. Because Michelob ULTRA is an alcohol brand and many countries in the World Cup are mostly Muslim—where alcohol is not allowed—the branding in their photos has been changed.
For example, the pictures of Canada’s injured star Ismael Kone, Qatar’s goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada, and Ivory Coast’s top player Yan Diomande don’t show the Michelob ULTRA logo on the background boards. The same goes for players like Iran’s Ramin Rezaeian, Egypt’s Emam Ashour, Jordan’s Ali Olwan, Morocco’s Ismael Saibari, and Switzerland’s Johan Manzambi.
Instead, their background simply reads “Superior Player of the Match” along with the FIFA World Cup logo. The trophy looks almost the same, but without the Michelob ULTRA branding.
In past World Cups, the beer brand Budweiser sponsored this award. Back in 2018, Egypt’s goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy refused to accept the prize for religious reasons after a great performance against Uruguay. A photo of him politely declining went viral.
This respect for players’ beliefs is also seen in the Premier League, where players used to get a bottle of alcohol as the Player of the Match prize. Many Muslim players like Yaya Toure chose not to accept it. Now, they get a simpler award, and non-alcoholic champagne is used during celebrations.
FIFA has many brand partners for the World Cup, and any brands not officially sponsoring the event need to cover up their logos at the stadiums. Players wearing Beats headphones also have to tape over the logo before matches.
SPORTbible has reached out to FIFA and Michelob ULTRA for their thoughts on these changes.