Ballon d'Or 2026: The 5 Nominees for Coach of the Season

Arteta, De la Fuente, Emery, Kompany and Luis Enrique have earned nominations after a trophy-filled 2025–26 campaign

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Ballon d'Or 2026: The 5 Nominees for Coach of the Season

France Football has announced the five coaches shortlisted for the 2026 Cruyff Trophy, with the winner to be revealed in London on October 26.

The final shortlist for the men’s team Coach of the Year award is now complete. Mikel Arteta, Luis de la Fuente, Unai Emery, Vincent Kompany and Luis Enrique are all in contention to claim the prize. The winner will be announced on Monday, October 26, 2026, during the 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony in London. The nominees include a World Cup-winning national-team coach and four managers who lifted major club trophies.

How each nominee performed in 2025–26

Mikel Arteta: the Spaniard guided Arsenal to their first Premier League title since 2004. The Gunners also reached the Champions League final, losing to PSG on penalties, and finished as runners-up to Manchester City in the League Cup.
Luis de la Fuente: Spain’s head coach delivered the biggest prize in international football by winning the 2026 World Cup. La Roja beat Argentina 1–0 after extra time in the final to secure their second world title.
Unai Emery: Aston Villa won the Europa League after a commanding 3–0 victory over Freiburg in Istanbul. It was the club’s first major trophy in 30 years and Emery’s record-extending fifth triumph in the competition.
Vincent Kompany: the Belgian completed a domestic clean sweep with Bayern Munich, winning the German Super Cup, Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal. Bayern secured their first league-and-cup double since 2020.
Luis Enrique: the PSG coach boasts the strongest trophy haul with five titles: Ligue 1, the Champions League, Trophée des Champions, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup. Paris also retained their European crown by defeating Arsenal.

Nominated for the 2026 Men's Coach of the Year ⬇️

Mikel Arteta - Arsenal
Luis de la Fuente - Spain national team
Unai Emery - Aston Villa
Vincent Kompany - Bayern Munich
Luis Enrique - Paris-SG pic.twitter.com/pP1pYnK9sl
— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) September 8, 2026

A contest between global glory and club dominance

De la Fuente’s World Cup victory gives him a powerful case, while Luis Enrique can point to an extraordinary season of success across several competitions. Arteta ended Arsenal’s 22-year wait for the English title, Emery enhanced his reputation as the Europa League specialist and Kompany restored Bayern’s domestic supremacy.

Voters must therefore compare very different forms of achievement: excellence in a major international tournament, consistency over a full domestic campaign and the ability to collect trophies on several fronts. The final verdict will arrive in London on October 26, when the ceremony leaves Paris for a special edition celebrating the Ballon d’Or’s 70th anniversary.