The full list of nominees for the 2026 Kopa Trophy has been unveiled, with Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal vying to win the award for a third consecutive season.
Awarded to the best U-21 player on the planet, the Kopa Trophy has been handed out annually since 2018, aside from a break in 2020 when the ceremony was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Kylian Mbappé, Matthijs de Ligt, Pedri, Gavi, Jude Bellingham and two-time winner Yamal have all taken home the illustrious prize.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Yamal is chasing a third consecutive triumph. A return of 24 goals and 18 assists in 45 games for Barcelona in the 2025–26 season helped fire Hansi Flick’s side to La Liga glory and will almost certainly see him end towards the top of the Ballon d’Or standings in the final ceremony on Oct. 26.
Yamal is joined on the shortlist by teammate for both club and country, center back Pau Cubarsí, who is hoping to improve on last season’s seventh-placed finish and will expect to do so after winning La Liga with Barcelona and the World Cup with Spain. He won the FIFA Young Player Award at the latter.
New Real Madrid signing Yan Diomande earns a spot on the shortlist after a whirlwind season that culminated in a $161.6 million (€140 million) transfer to the Bernabéu, while there is also a place for Manchester City’s $111 million signing Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Warren Zaïre-Emery is a staple of these shortlists, having finished tied for eighth in 2024, but there are plenty of new faces battling for the award for the first time in their emerging careers.
Lennart Karl of Bayern Munich and Ibrahim Maza of Bayer Leverkusen are flying the flag for the Bundesliga, while Bournemouth’s Junior Kroupi and Aston Villa’s Johan Manzambi are also representing the Premier League. Juventus’ Kerim Alajbegović rounds out the shortlist.
For the first time ever, 2025 brought the introduction of the Women’s Kopa Trophy award, with Barcelona and Spain gem Vicky López taking home the inaugural prize.
López, like Yamal, is back up for the award again this time around, doing battle with teammate Clara Serrajordi, Chelsea’s Veerle Buurman, Real Madrid’s Felicia Schröder and OL Lyonnes’ Lily Yohannes.
2026 Kopa Trophy Nominees in Full
| Player | Club |
|---|---|
| Kerim Alajbegović | RB Salzburg/Juventus |
| Ayyoub Bouaddi | Lille/Manchester City |
| Pau Cubarsí | Barcelona |
| Yan Diomande | RB Leipzig/Real Madrid |
| Lennart Karl | Bayern Munich |
| Éli Junior Kroupi | Bournemouth |
| Lamine Yamal | Barcelona |
| Johan Manzambi | Aston Villa |
| Ibrahim Maza | Bayer Leverkusen |
| Warren Zaïre-Emery | Paris Saint-Germain |
2026 Women’s Kopa Trophy Nominees in Full
| Player | Club |
|---|---|
| Veerle Buurman | Chelsea |
| Vicky López | Barcelona |
| Felicia Schröder | BK Häcken/Real Madrid |
| Clara Serrajordi | Barcelona |
| Lily Yohannes | OL Lyonnes |
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