Arsenal and Manchester City provide nine of the 11 players in the 2025/26 PFA Premier League Team of the Year, with Igor Thiago also included.
Arsenal’s return to the top of English football has been recognised in style, with five of their players earning a place in the 2025/26 PFA Premier League Team of the Year.
David Raya, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice all make the cut, giving Mikel Arteta’s side the strongest presence of any club in this year’s player-voted XI.
Manchester City are close behind, with four players named. Nico O’Reilly, Rayan Cherki, Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo all feature after a campaign where City kept the pressure on Arsenal right to the finish.
The final two spots go to Manchester United’s captain Bruno Fernandes and Brentford’s Igor Thiago, both recognised for standout individual seasons.
Arsenal Defence Dominates PFA Selection
Remarkably, four of Arsenal’s five picks come from a back line that once again set the benchmark for defensive solidity in the Premier League last season.
Raya’s 19 clean sheets secured him a third straight Golden Glove, while Arsenal ended the season boasting the league’s meanest defence.
Saliba and Gabriel keep their spots from last year’s PFA Premier League Team of the Year, while Timber’s breakthrough campaign sees him recognised as a vital part in Arsenal title, despite an injury plagued end to the season.
Declan Rice rounds out Arsenal’s contingent, his influence in midfield once again impossible to ignore, making the team for the third consecutive season.
Arsenal finished as champions for the first time in 22 years. Their dominance in the PFA XI underlines just how much of that triumph was anchored by the Gunners' defensive and midfield spine.
Manchester City Land Four Places
City make up the other main cluster of selections in this year’s team.
Haaland’s place is no surprise after another Golden Boot season. The Norwegian hit 27 league goals, finishing five ahead of his nearest rival, Thiago.
Cherki earns his spot after an eye-catching debut year in England. O’Reilly, meanwhile, capped a breakthrough campaign with the Premier League Young Player of the Season award, making 34 appearances and chipping in with five goals and three assists.
Semenyo rounds out City’s quartet, his 17 league goals all the more impressive given he began the season at Bournemouth before making the switch to Manchester City.
Fernandes and Thiago Complete the XI
Fernandes stands alone as United’s only representative, rewarded for what was arguably the finest season of his career.
The United captain set a new Premier League record with 21 assists, surpassing the previous mark of 20 held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne, also picking up the Premier League Player of the Season in the process.
Igor Thiago’s selection ensures Brentford are represented, the Brazilian’s remarkable campaign impossible to overlook.
After injuries hampered his first year in England, Thiago bounced back with 22 Premier League goals this season. Only Haaland scored more, and no Brazilian has ever managed as many in a single Premier League campaign.
2025/26 PFA Premier League Team of the Year
Goalkeeper:
David Raya (Arsenal)
Defenders:
Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City)
Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal)
William Saliba (Arsenal)
Jurrien Timber (Arsenal)
Midfielders:
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Rayan Cherki (Manchester City)
Forwards:
Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City)
Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Igor Thiago (Brentford)
It’s no surprise that the final XI is dominated by the two teams who set the pace in the Premier League, with Arsenal and City filling nine of the 11 spots.
Yet Fernandes’ record-breaking creativity and Thiago’s breakthrough ensured the team wasn’t an exclusive affair between the title rivals.
