With the Ballon d’Or ceremony just a couple of months away, the nominees for the 2026 Kopa Trophy have been revealed. The award is given to the best U-21 footballer of any given year. The young stars of today could one day become the Ballon d’Or winners of tomorrow, so the Kopa Trophy may be a glimpse at what the podium could look like a decade from now.
For any young player, winning the award is an amazing honor.
Here is a list of every player nominated (and the team they currently play for):
Men’s nominees:
- Kerim Alajbegović (RB Salzburg / Juventus / Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille / Manchester City / Morocco)
- Pau Cubarsí (FC Barcelona / Spain)
- Yan Diomande (RB Leipzig / Real Madrid / Côte d’Ivoire)
- Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich / Germany)
- Éli Junior Kroupi (Bournemouth / France)
- Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona / Spain)
- Johan Manzambi (Aston Villa / Switzerland)
- Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen / Algeria)
- Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Women’s nominees:
- Veerle Buurman (Chelsea / Netherlands)
- Vicky López (FC Barcelona / Spain)
- Felicia Schröder (BK Häcken / Real Madrid / Spain)
- Clara Serrajordi (FC Barcelona / Spain)
- Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnes / USWNT)
At some point, you have to stop nominating Yamal
Lamine Yamal is currently 19-years-old. He has already won this award twice, and now boasts a World Cup trophy to his name. It is not impossible that he wins the Kopa Trophy again this year, then again when he turns 20 and then 21.
Five years of no one but Lamine Yamal. Call that far-fetched, but if Barcelona keep playing they way they have been, and Spain remains dominant, then you can’t rule it out. Frankly, it raises the question of whether previous winners should be eligible for a repeat nomination. So much young talent bursts onto the scene every year, and unlike the Ballon d’Or, they have a very limited window to snag this award.
Perhaps the rules are in need of some adjustment. Players like Lennart Karl, Johan Manzambi, Yan Diomande, and the rest all had impressive seasons. They deserve some recognition for their hard work.
FC Barcelona monopolizing the award
The men’s Kopa Trophy has been awarded seven times. FC Barcelona have won four of them.
The women’s Kopa Trophy has only been awarded once before. FC Barcelona won that too.
At this point, there have been more Kopa Trophy winners from FC Barcelona than any other club put together. It seems that the legendary reputation of La Masia is not unfounded, and the club itself has done well to integrate young players into its first team setup.
Interestingly, the Barcelona dominance coincides with a period when the club was stuck in a state of severe financial distress. Perhaps the lack of money, and the corresponding lack of big name transfers, gave the Barça youngsters an environment to break through.
This year too, they stand a good chance of sweeping the men’s and women’s awards. It is past time that other clubs step up and challenge them.
Who do you think should win the 2026 Kopa Trophy? Comment below!
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