Lamine Yamal is aiming to make history at the Ballon d'Or 2026 ceremony, having been nominated for the Kopa Trophy once again. The Barcelona winger is favourite to win the prize for a third consecutive year, which would make him the first footballer to achieve that feat since the award was introduced.
What is the Kopa Trophy?
The Kopa Trophy, also known as the Men's Young Talent of the Year, is an individual award presented annually by France Football to the best footballer in the world under the age of 21. Yamal has won the trophy for the last two years and is now looking to complete a hat-trick.
His case is bolstered by a strong season with Barcelona, where he helped the club retain the LaLiga title, and by his role in Spain's World Cup triumph. Yamal featured in all eight matches of the tournament and scored his first World Cup goal in the 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia.
As one of the front-runners for the men's Ballon d'Or award, the teenager could enjoy an unprecedented evening in London.
Men's nominees in full
The men's list includes Kerim Alajbegovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina and RB Salzburg/Juventus), Ayyoub Bouaddi (Morocco and Lille/Manchester City), Pau Cubarsi (Spain and Barcelona), Yan Diomande (Ivory Coast and RB Leipzig/Real Madrid), Lennart Karl (Germany and Bayern Munich), Eli Junior Kroupi (France and Bournemouth), Lamine Yamal (Spain and Barcelona), Johan Manzambi (Switzerland and Freiburg/Aston Villa), Ibrahim Maza (Algeria and Bayer Leverkusen) and Warren Zaire-Emery (France and Paris Saint-Germain).
Previous winners of the Kopa Trophy include Kylian Mbappe, Pedri, Gavi and England's Jude Bellingham. Pau Cubarsi, Eli Junior Kroupi and Ayyoub Bouaddi are among those hoping to dethrone Yamal.
Women's nominees in full
On the women's side, Vicky Lopez is the inaugural winner of the award and the Barcelona player has put forward a strong case to retain the trophy. Her competition includes team-mate Clara Serrajordi, Chelsea defender Veerle Buurman, Felicia Schroder, who has moved to Real Madrid from Hacken, and OL Lyonnes midfielder Lily Yohannes.
The women's nominees are Vicky Lopez (Spain and Barcelona), Veerle Buurman (Netherlands and Chelsea), Felicia Schroder (Sweden and Hacken/Real Madrid), Clara Serrajordi (Spain and Barcelona) and Lily Yohannes (USA and OL Lyonnes). The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony is being broadcast live on Standard Sport.
