Update, 24 October 2026: the 2026 Kopa Trophy winners will be named at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London on Monday 26 October. Lamine Yamal, who has won the men’s award twice, is on the ten-man shortlist again. The full list of winners and this year’s nominees are below.
What is the Kopa Trophy?
The Kopa Trophy is France Football’s award for the best player in the world under the age of 21. It is presented at the same ceremony as the Ballon d’Or, and it is named after Raymond Kopa, the French footballer who won the Ballon d’Or in 1958. On the official Ballon d’Or website it now appears as Young Talent of the Year.
Kylian Mbappé won the first one in 2018. A women’s award was added in 2025, and Barcelona’s Vicky López was its first winner.
How is the winner chosen?
The jury is made up only of former Ballon d’Or winners. Each of them names a top three from the shortlist, worth 5, 3 and 1 points, and the player with the most points wins. Nominees are judged on individual performances, team achievements and fair play over the season.
The award is open to young players anywhere in the world. That is the main difference from the Golden Boy, which is run by the Italian newspaper Tuttosport and only considers under-21 players at European clubs.
The 2026 awards cover the 2025-26 season, from 3 August 2025 to 19 July 2026, which includes the World Cup.
Kopa Trophy winners list
| Year | Winner | Club | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Kylian Mbappé (France) | Paris Saint-Germain | Christian Pulisic | Justin Kluivert |
| 2019 | Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands) | Juventus | Jadon Sancho | João Félix |
| 2020 | Not awarded (COVID-19 pandemic) | |||
| 2021 | Pedri (Spain) | Barcelona | Jude Bellingham | Jamal Musiala |
| 2022 | Gavi (Spain) | Barcelona | Eduardo Camavinga | Jamal Musiala |
| 2023 | Jude Bellingham (England) | Borussia Dortmund | Jamal Musiala | Pedri |
| 2024 | Lamine Yamal (Spain) | Barcelona | Arda Güler | Kobbie Mainoo |
| 2025 | Lamine Yamal (Spain) | Barcelona | Désiré Doué | João Neves |
Some quick facts from the list:
- Lamine Yamal is the only player to win it twice, in 2024 and 2025.
- Barcelona have had four winners from three players: Pedri, Gavi and Yamal (twice). Spain also has four wins.
- Jude Bellingham finished second in 2021 and won in 2023. He won it as a Borussia Dortmund player: he had signed for Real Madrid but had not played for them before the award period ended.
- Jamal Musiala has finished in the top three three times without winning: third in 2021 and 2022, and second in 2023.
Women’s Kopa Trophy winners
The first women’s award went to Barcelona forward Vicky López in 2025, ahead of Linda Caicedo of Real Madrid and Chelsea’s Wieke Kaptein.
Kopa Trophy 2026 nominees
Ten players are on the men’s shortlist. Where a player has moved since the award period, both clubs are shown.
- Kerim Alajbegović (Bosnia and Herzegovina): Red Bull Salzburg, now Juventus
- Ayyoub Bouaddi (Morocco): Lille, now Manchester City
- Pau Cubarsí (Spain): Barcelona
- Yan Diomande (Ivory Coast): RB Leipzig, now Real Madrid
- Lennart Karl (Germany): Bayern Munich
- Éli Junior Kroupi (France): Bournemouth
- Lamine Yamal (Spain): Barcelona
- Johan Manzambi (Switzerland): Freiburg, now Aston Villa
- Ibrahim Maza (Algeria): Bayer Leverkusen
- Warren Zaïre-Emery (France): Paris Saint-Germain
Five players are on the women’s shortlist, including the holder:
- Veerle Buurman (Netherlands): Chelsea
- Vicky López (Spain): Barcelona
- Felicia Schröder (Sweden): BK Häcken, now Real Madrid
- Clara Serrajordi (Spain): Barcelona
- Lily Yohannes (United States): OL Lyonnes
For the main award, read why we think Harry Kane should beat Lamine Yamal to the 2026 Ballon d’Or.
Featured photo: FRANCK FIFE / AFP