Lucy Bronze on brink of World 11 record

• The England defender is one of 26 finalists in the running for the 2024 FIFPRO Women's World 11

• The World 11 is the only global football award decided exclusively by the players

• The 2024 World 11 will be revealed on Monday 9 December on FIFPRO's digital channels 

Being a seven-time FIFPRO Women's World 11 winner is an achievement only Wendie Renard can lay claim to, but the French defender may not have the sole record for long.

Six-time winner Lucy Bronze is on the shortlist of 26 finalists for the Women's World 11 and, if selected in the team of the year by her peers, will equal Renard's record.

Eight defenders in total are in contention for one of at least three places in the World 11. Women's football players will decide the winners through their votes, which in this edition rewards individual performances between 21 August 2023 and 10 August 2024.

Joining Bronze in the running for a place in the World 11 defence is France's Selma Bacha, Spain's Ona Batlle and Olga Carmona, USA's Naomi Girma and England's Millie Bright, Jess Carter and Alex Greenwood.

Bronze's 2023/24 season

The England full-back's final season with Barcelona – today she plays for Chelsea – ended with four titles: the Spanish League, the Copa de la Reina, the Spanish Super Cup and the Women's Champions League. The top European trophy saw her win it five times, twice with the Azulgrana.

A small sample of the attacking importance she had in her team's play is that she finished third in the ranking of best assists in the tournament (four in 10 games played), only two behind her team-mate Aitana Bonmati.

In the Liga F season she played 21 games (16 as a starter), converting one goal, providing four assists and completing 82 percent of successful passes in the opposition half.

Bronze's individual achievements 2023/24

• Champions League Team of the Year

Bronze in the Women's World 11

Bronze's consistency amongst football's elite, making her for many experts one of the best defenders in history, can be seen in her presence in the World 11.

Considering that the women's side did not have an edition of the award in 2018, that makes six consecutive appearances for the right-back in the World 11: 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. At the moment she shares second place with USA's Alex Morgan in World 11 appearances.

Although she made her debut among the winners in 2017 - in a backline she shared with Renard, Sweden's Nilla Fischer and Spain's Irene Paredes - her first contact with the World 11 universe was a year earlier: in 2016 she was part of the 55-strong shortlist but came sixth in the voting and failed to make the final team.

Post of the Year

When will the World 11 be announced?

The 2024 FIFPRO Women's World 11 will be officially announced on Monday 9 December at 14:00 CET. It will be made up of the 11 players – out of the 26 on the final list – who receive the most votes in their position.

This year, all winners will be presented with a new trophy that truly captures the collective spirit of the World 11.