It’s finally here! Get ready for yet another glamorous night of the beautiful game. Instead of donning jerseys, witness your favorite luminaries of Soccer in elegant suits and gowns as we celebrate the much-anticipated FIFA The Best Awards. The excitement has been building ever since the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony, with fans crossing their fingers to see their favorite stars potentially claim another prestigious accolade. While it’s an event no one wants to miss, questions remain about key details, including the timings and broadcast information for The Best Awards.
Similar to the Ballon d’Or, the ninth edition of The Best FIFA Football Awards celebrates the top players, coaches, and goalkeepers in soccer over the past year in their respective categories. The event also highlights the finest goals in both the men’s and women’s games through the prestigious FIFA Puskás Award and FIFA Marta Award.
Now let’s talk about the timings and how to watch the ceremony.
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Where and how to watch The Best FIFA Awards?
Typically, the Best FIFA Awards used to be held in Zürich, Switzerland, in the month of January. But this year, soccer fans will be witnessing the live coverage of the awards quite early and at the exclusively held gala dinner at Aspire Academy, Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday, December 17. It will be broadcast live on FIFA.com.
At what time will the FIFA Awards begin?
The exclusive event is set to kick off at 20:00 local time, 18:00 CET, 3:00 p.m. ET, and 12:00 p.m. PT. Depending on time zones, some viewers can enjoy the event at their leisure, while others might have to pull up an all night to catch it until the very end.
More details about the nominees
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As ever, FIFA ensured that fans had a fair chance to influence the winners by allowing them to vote for several awards, including those for the best players, coaches, and goalkeepers in both the men’s and women’s categories. These winners were determined through an equally weighted voting system involving fans, the current captains and coaches of all women’s and men’s national teams, and media representatives.
In fact, ardent fans also had a chance to participate in the voting of The Best FIFA Men’s 11 and The Best FIFA Women’s 11, selecting from a specially designated 77-player list. Meanwhile, the event also includes awards for the best goals scored in both the women’s and men’s categories: the FIFA Marta Award and the FIFA Puskás Award. Additionally, the FIFA Fan Award has been determined entirely by fans, while the recipient of the FIFA Fair Play Award has been selected by an expert panel.
Interestingly, the date aligns with the eve of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup Qatar 2024 final between Real Madrid C.F. and CF Pachuca, as well as the second anniversary of the most iconic World Cup final. As a result, none of the nominated individuals from Real Madrid will be present at the event.
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Similar to the Ballon d’Or ceremony, the timing conflicts with the women’s fixture calendar. With the final round of UWCL group games set for tomorrow and Wednesday, the majority, if not all, of the nominated players will be unable to attend.