Ballon d’Or 2026: Ranking the Favorites to Win Coach of the Year

Five of the world’s top managers have been shortlisted for the 2026 Men’s Coach of the Year award.

Officially known as the Johan Cruyff Trophy, the award is being presented for the third time, following previous wins for Carlo Ancelotti and Luis Enrique.

Enrique returns to this year’s shortlist alongside three other Spanish managers. Champions League-winning coaches have claimed both previous awards, but that streak could be broken this time around.

Here is Sports Illustrated’s ranking of the five Men’s Coach of the Year nominees.

5. Unai Emery

Team: Aston Villa
Titles: Europa League

Unai Emery led Aston Villa to their first major trophy win in 30 years in true Emery fashion: winning the Europa League.

The Villans were a cut above the opposition in UEFA’s second-tier competition and the Spanish boss guided his side to glory, lifting the Europa League title for a record-extending fifth time in his career. He’s now won the Europa League with three different clubs.

Emery had already made history at Villa when he steered the club back to the Champions League for the first time since 1982 a season prior. When he ended the club’s trophy drought, he confirmed his status as one of the greatest managers in club history.

Apart from winning the Europa League, Villa also went to-to-toe with the biggest clubs in England to the tune of a fourth-place finish in the Premier League.

4. Vincent Kompany

Team: Bayern Munich
Titles: Bundesliga, German Cup, German Super Cup

Vincent Kompany’s sophomore season at Bayern Munich saw the Bavarian giants continue their dominance over German soccer, but perhaps even more emphatically than in recent seasons.

Bayern cruised to yet another league title, losing just one match through the entire 34-game season. What’s even more impressive is that Kompany turned his side into a lethal attacking machine, scoring 122 goals in the Bundesliga—that’s 3.5 goals per game.

Kompany’s side were devastating but also effective and could’ve easily won the Champions League had they not narrowly fallen to eventual champions PSG in an electrifying semifinal tie. Still, the Belgian boss did lead the Bavarians to end their curse against 15-time winners Real Madrid in the quarterfinals.

3. Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta celebrating. — Mikel Arteta finally completed his mission of leading Arsenal back to the summit of English soccer. | Jacques Feeney/Offside/Getty Images

Team: Arsenal
Titles: Premier League

For years, Arsenal supporters were asked to be patient with Mikel Arteta’s project. In 2025–26, that patience finally paid off, as the Gunners captured their first Premier League title in 22 years.

Arsenal set the standard in England, combining tactical discipline with remarkable resilience to overcome setbacks throughout Arteta’s sixth full season in charge. Their football may not always have been as free-flowing as in previous campaigns, but their organisation and consistency made them incredibly difficult to stop.

That strength carried over into Europe, too. Arsenal went unbeaten throughout the Champions League campaign until the final, topping the league phase before reaching the showpiece event for only the second time in their history.

The one missing piece was European glory. A penalty shootout defeat to PSG denied Arteta and Arsenal their first Champions League crown, keeping him just short of the top spot on this list.

Still, their progress in the competition offers plenty of encouragement that the club’s biggest prize could be within reach next time.

2. Luis Enrique

Team: Paris Saint–Germain
Titles: Champions League, Ligue 1, French Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Intercontinental Cup

Last year’s winner could feasibly get his hands on the award for a second year in a row, emulating what his team did when they conquered back-to-back Champions League titles. Luis Enrique’s PSG aren’t just the best team in the world currently, they are one of the greatest sides in Europe’s modern era.

Tasked with repeating the level of success enjoyed in 2024–25, Enrique’s PSG once again peaked when it mattered most. The flashy, energetic, dynamic and relentless nature of the Parisians under Enrique didn’t fade, and they became the first team in history not named Real Madrid to conquer Europe in consecutive years during the Champions League era.

Enrique beat two of the other managers on this shortlist en route to the Champions League title. The holders had to deliver against the best of the best in Europe and when it was all said and done, they still came out as monarchs.

Three Champions League titles now rest in Enrique’s trophy cabinet. He’s a living legend and will go down as one of the greatest managers in soccer history.

1. Luis de la Fuente

Team: Spain
Titles: World Cup

Even before the Johan Cruyff Award was introduced, coaches who led their countries to World Cup glory were regularly rewarded for their achievements. In each of the last three World Cup years, the manager of the winning nation took home the Coach of the Year honor—and Luis de la Fuente looks well placed to keep that tradition alive.

De la Fuente has been central to Spain’s rise, having already guided La Roja to Euro 2024 glory before leading the team to its second World Cup title in 2026.

The manner in which Spain dominated the 2026 World Cup is even more impressive. La Roja conceded only one goal this summer and although it wasn’t as electrifying of a team as the 2024 version, it was unquestionably more dominant, effective and solid overall.

Not once did Spain look overwhelmed during the World Cup. Not once did it look second best to its rivals. De la Fuente’s side utterly erased teams such as Portugal, France and Argentina from the pitch, not conceding a single goal against three of the favorites to win it all.

Spain made winning the World Cup remarkably easy, and it all started with the mastermind on the touchline behind it all.

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