Alcaraz and Sinner to duel for sport’s biggest prize as Nominees announced for Laureus World Sports Awards; McIlroy, McLaughlin-Levrone and Ledecky among stars to make shortlists

The countdown has begun to the greatest show in sports, as the nominations for the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards, known as the Athletes’ Awards, were announced today. Record breakers, gold medal winners and future superstars will stake their claim for ‘The Laureus’ statuette – globally recognised as the gold standard for sporting excellence.

The Award winners will be decided by the ultimate sporting jury – the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy – and announced at a gala event held at the stunning Cibeles Palace in Madrid. The Spanish capital will be the focus of the world’s media and host to the greatest athletes on the planet, as well as stars from the world of entertainment, for the most prestigious awards in sports.

The 1,300 members of the Laureus Global Media Panel have selected six outstanding athletes in each of six categories, while members of the International Paralympic Committee have chosen the Nominees for the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award. The result is a celebration of the very best athletes of the past year – an unrivalled roster of greatness from across sport competing now with each other for the one goal they all share. In addition, the Laureus Sport for Good Award will recognise a community-sports programme from a shortlist selected by a specialist panel, celebrating their impact in improving the lives of young people through sport.

Nominees - Laureus World Sports Awards 2025

It was another vintage year for tennis, with a now-iconic rivalry taking centre stage for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award. Carlos Alcaraz ended the year as World No.1 following victories at the US and French Opens against Jannik Sinner, who got the better of the Spaniard at Wimbledon. Having shared the four Grand Slam titles, the two now contest the most coveted individual honour in sport: The Laureus. Paris Saint-Germain’s successful conquest of the UEFA Champions League was spearheaded by Ousmane Dembélé: the Frenchman collected the Ballon d’Or after finishing the season as top goalscorer as his team finished 2025 with an incredible six titles. Mondo Duplantis – winner of this Award last year – rose to new heights in an undefeated 2025, setting four new world records across the season, while Tadej Pogačar claimed a quartet of Tour de France stage wins to seal his third yellow jersey. Eleven race wins saw Marc Márquez achieve a seventh MotoGP World Championship crown with five races to spare, ending his six-year wait to collect another title.

Aitana Bonmatí, became the first woman to win three Ballon d’Or awards and the 2024 winner is shortlisted again for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award. She is joined by two of Team USA’s superstars from the World Athletics Championships. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden became the second woman in history to win the Triple Crown (100m, 200m, 4x100m) and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broke the championship record in the 400m and won team gold in the 4x400m relay at her first championships since moving from the hurdles to the flat. Faith Kipyegon receives a third-consecutive nomination after a record-breaking fourth World Championships gold medal in the 1500m. Katie Ledecky took her World Aquatics Championships medal count to an unmatched 30 with two golds, a silver and bronze, while Aryna Sabalenka defended her place at the top of women’s tennis with the US Open title and three Grand Slam final appearances.

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Nominee Aitana Bonmatí, said: “I’d like to thank Laureus and their panel of global sports media for nominating me for this Award for the third time in a row. It’s a pleasure to be recognised, but this nomination wouldn’t be possible without my teammates and all of the staff and coaches for my club and national team. These Awards help us athletes give visibility to our own causes: thanks to Laureus, my work and the achievements of my fellow Nominees can inspire girls and boys around the world, and that’s a huge source of pride for me.”

This year’s Nominees for the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award announced their talents with memorable performances. French winger Désiré Doué ensured his debut season for Paris Saint-Germain was one to remember, scoring twice and assisting once in the UEFA Champions League final. Lando Norris pipped 2022 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Max Verstappen to the Formula One Drivers' Championship, winning his maiden title by two points at the last race of the season. Luke Littler became the youngest-ever PDC World Darts Champion en route to completing the Triple Crown (World Championship, World Matchplay and Premier League), while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became the fourth basketball player to win the NBA’s regular season MVP, Finals MVP and Scoring Champion titles within the same season. Nineteen-year-old Joāo Fonseca debuted at all four tennis Grand Slam tournaments, and 12-year-old Yu Zidi – the youngest ever Nominee at these Awards – won bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay at the World Aquatics Championships. Which of them will win an Award that has foreshadowed some of the greatest careers in sport, including those of Marc Márquez, Lewis Hamilton and Rafael Nadal?

Maiden triumphs dominate the headlines for the Laureus World Team of the Year Award, which sees multiple female teams shortlisted for the first time. Oklahoma City Thunder won a first NBA title in franchise history, equalling the season win total of the 1996/97 Chicago Bulls (84) in the process. A 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan brought Paris Saint-Germain a first UEFA Champions League trophy and they completed 2025 with six titles including a domestic treble, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup. In their Cricket World Cup semi-final against Australia, the India Women’s Cricket Team pulled off the highest successful run chase in women’s ODI history (339) – before winning their first title against South Africa and are the first women’s cricket team to be nominated for this Award. The England Women’s Football Team defended their European Championships crown with a shoot-out win against Spain, whilst the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team defended the World Constructors' Championship with six Grands Prix to spare. Shane Lowry’s half point on the final day in New York saw the European Ryder Cup Team win their 16th title, ending a 13-year away win drought for Europe.

This year, the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award recognises the remarkable stories of six athletes who have triumphed on the world stage despite adversity, injury and time away from their respective sports. Amanda Anisimova announced an indefinite leave from professional tennis in May 2023 to prioritise her mental health, before reaching two Grand Slam finals only a year after her return. A collision with a bus during a training ride in 2022 could have claimed Egan Bernal’s life – instead, Bernal held off Mikel Landa to win stage 16 at the Vuelta a España. Rory McIlroy had endured 11 long years without a Major win but ended his drought in sublime fashion with a first Masters title, clinched by a play-off win over Justin Rose. A tendon injury left Yulimar Rojas in intense pain and unable to compete at Paris 2024 but, one year after undergoing successful surgery, Rojas won a bronze medal in the Triple Jump at the World Championships. Leah Williamson – who captained Arsenal and England to Champions League and European Championship titles respectively – missed nearly 10 months of football following an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2023. In 2018, a 38-minute lead for Simon Yates vanished at the penultimate stage of the Giro d’Italia: seven years later, he cast out those demons to win the Maglia Rosa by nearly four minutes.

The Nominees for the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award are an extraordinary group of athletes, each of whom pushed themselves to the limit throughout 2025 and are rewarded with a place on the shortlist for an Award that has celebrated some of the most breathtaking sporting stories of the past quarter century. Despite starting from the back of the grid, last year’s winner of this Award Tom Pidcock stormed to victory at the European Mountain Bike Championships in Portugal, before taking a podium place at the Vuelta a España in August. Three-time Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award Nominee Rayssa Leal receives a fourth nomination in the category, after winning gold in Street at the World Skateboarding Championships. Snowboarder Chloe Kim won the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award in 2019 and 2020 and won an eighth X Games gold in Superpipe to become the most decorated athlete in that event. Two exemplary surfers, Yago Dora and Molly Picklum, won maiden titles at the WSL World Championships and the World Surf League respectively, ending 2025 as the men’s and women’s World No.1 seeds. Mountain athlete Kilian Jornet summited 72 peaks and ascended a total of 400,000 feet in 31 days during his ‘States of Elevation’ challenge.

A trio of Para swimmers are nominated for the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award following success at the World Para Swimming Championships. Gabriel Araújo broke his world record in the 150m Individual Medley SM3, on his way to three gold medals. A thrilling 400m freestyle S9 gold was the highlight of a four-gold performance by Simone Barlaam, while David Kratochvíl completed an astonishing seven-medal haul from seven races aged just 17. In Para Athletics, Catherine Debrunner and Kiara Rodríguez set championship records in 1500m T4 and Long Jump T47, while Debrunner won five golds and Rodriguez three. Kelsey DiClaudio was awarded the MVP award at the World Para Ice Hockey Women’s World Championships, after finishing the tournament as its leading scorer. Four of DiClaudio’s 11 goals came during the 7-1 victory over Canada in the gold medal match.

Laureus Sport for Good supports over 300 sports-based programmes across 40 countries worldwide. Every year, the Laureus Sport for Good Award recognises one of those programmes, as selected by Members of the Laureus World Sports Academy. This year, the shortlist includes: Fútbol Mas, a charity founded in 2008 that now supports young people in 11 countries across Africa, Europe and South America; MindLeaps, who employ a pioneering programme of academic tuition and dance classes to boost youth employability and critical cognitive skills; Transformación Social TRASO, a Mexican charity combining twice weekly martial arts classes with group therapy sessions for children aged 5-12, and young adults aged 15-24; A.S.D. Gruppo Sportivo Valanga, a Turin-based charity seeking to improve the physical and mental well-being of participants through sport; Rugby for Good, who offer rugby classes for children with ADHD in Hong Kong, China; and Kings County Tennis League who, in their 15th year of operation, bring tennis to nearly 1,000 vulnerable young people in Brooklyn, New York.