FIFA 23 TOTY Prediction & Leaks

The FIFA 23 TOTY is just around the corner and it is easily one of the highlights of the entire game's cycle. While they are some of the rarest cards to actually obtain within FIFA, TOTY cards are certain to stay in your team for a while, and are a great celebration of the year's best talents. So, to find out our full FIFA 23 TOTY prediction and see if you agree with it, make sure to carry on reading down below.

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FIFA 23 TOTY Prediction

As any seasoned FIFA fan knows, the TOTY in-game doesn't always exactly match up with the general real life consensus. While it is player-voted to some degree, there is always a favouring for cards that would be good in FIFA over cards that might otherwise deserve it more.

Thus, this FIFA 23 TOTY prediction is more an estimation of what we think the team will actually turn out like, instead of our own personal choices. Real life performance does of course hold a lot of weight, but you do also have to consider player popularity and how they fit into the FIFA meta unfortunately.

So, here's our choices for the FIFA 23 TOTY prediction:

GK: Alisson (Liverpool)

You could very easily go with Thibaut Courtois instead after his fantastic year with Real Madrid - which of course included a Man of the Match performance in the Champions League final - but we have opted for Alisson. Not only does he absolutely deserve it, but the popularity of the Premier League could just give him the edge.

RB: João Cancelo (Manchester City)

While recent weeks have seen the Portuguese international sit on the bench, it is undeniable how impressive João Cancelo's 2022 was. We are of course cheating here a little bit as he played almost all of 2022 at left back, but we can see this being the choice for the position.

CB: David Alaba (Real Madrid)

Any defender that leads their team to a domestic and European double deserves at least a shout at TOTY, and David Alaba has certainly proved his worth with this starting spot. Offering solidity in defence and a wide passing range, the only thing lacking from Alaba's repertoire in 2022 is an appearance at the World Cup, which might let him down in terms of recency bias.

CB: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

Speaking of recency bias, the inclusion of Virgil van Dijk could also be in question if you were only to consider the past few months. He has not been in the best of form since the start of the current season, but he was instrumental to Liverpool's near-historic run in the first half of 2022, and his star power should do enough to take him over the edge.

LB: Theo Hernández (Milan)

Instrumental in both Milan's Scudetto win and France's World Cup run, Theo Hernandez absolutely deserves a place in this team. Paired with his status as one of the game's best standard left backs, this is one of the more confident choices in the team.

CDM: Casemiro (Manchester United)

Assuming that the FIFA 23 TOTY operates on a more balanced 4-3-3 formation, it is likely that Casemiro takes the starting DM spot. This place is of course more to do with the vital part he played in Madrid's LaLiga and Champions League wins, but he has also made a great start to his Manchester United career after being slowly eased into the team.

CM: Luka Modrić (Real Madrid)

Joining his Real Madrid teammate is Luka Modrić, who has the added bonus of another deep World Cup run with Croatia. While perhaps not quite as impressive as the year that led to his Ballon D'Or win, it remains unquestionable how impressive Modrić still is at 37.

CM: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

While a disappointing World Cup might have been a sour end to 2022 for the Belgium, Kevin De Bruyne once again proved why he is widely considered one of the greatest Premier League players last year. With a run of form that nearly snatched Mohamed Salah's POTY away from underneath him, and a combination with Erling Haaland that seems almost like a cheat code, you just cannot ignore De Bruyne's ability.

RW: Lionel Messi (PSG)

It is strange to think that there was a point last year where Messi wasn't even in the same stratosphere as the TOTY, but the greatest player of all time has once again turned up in a big way. Exemplified by a World Cup win that will likely lead him to an eighth Ballon d'Or, his domestic performance also dramatically picked up, netting 26 goal contributions in the second half of the year.

LW: Kylian Mbappé (PSG)

Claiming the Golden Boot for 2022 with a whopping 44 goals, Kylian Mbappé is another lock for the FIFA 23 TOTY. This would be his fifth consecutive Team of the Year inclusion, and I don't think anyone will have any objections this time. With a World Cup final hat-trick that saw him just a few kicks away from the trophy, Mbappé is the present and the future all wrapped into one.

ST: Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

This is where it gets complicated - how can you have a Team of the Year without the current Ballon d'Or holder? While this position could very much go to Karim Benzema instead, and the player who does not make it will most likely earn the 12th man spot, we feel that recency bias will spur the Norwegian into the team.

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FIFA 23 TOTY Full Team Leak

Right on the eve of the release, the full FIFA 23 TOTY has been leaked, revealed the winners of the community vote. Of course, take this leak with a pinch of salt as things can change and leaks aren't always correct, but they are often an indication of what is to come at the very least.

Here is the FIFA 23 TOTY full leaked team:

• GK: Thibaut Courtois
• RB: Achraf Hakimi
• CB: Eder Militao
• CB: Virgil van Dijk
• LB: Theo Hernandez
• CM: Luka Modric
• CM: Kevin De Bruyne
• CM: Jude Bellingham
• RW: Lionel Messi
• ST: Karim Benzema
• LW: Kylian Mbappe

Not really any huge surprises there, although some might question the omission of players like Cancelo and Casemiro. Regardless, these are all likely to be excellent cards within FIFA too, so there is plenty to look forward to if you're lucky enough to pack one of them.

• For any of the TOTY SBCs, make sure to use our FIFA 23 cheapest 89 rated players guide to avoid overspending.

When Does FIFA 23 TOTY Voting Start?

As per renowned FIFA leaker FUT Sheriff, the FIFA 23 TOTY voting will start on January 10, giving players a wide selection of players to choose from. From that point the team will likely follow a sequential release from around January 20th if previous release patterns are replicated, with the full squad being put into packs on the 27th.

So, that wraps up this FIFA 23 TOTY prediction, but do let us know if you disagree, and which players you would include instead. In the meantime though, don't miss our FIFA 23 SBC solutions guide if you want to see every challenge we've covered so far.