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Five of the planet's top coaches have been included on the shortlist for the 2026 Men's Coach of the Year honor.
The full list of 2026 Ballon d'Or nominees was revealed on Tuesday as France Football announced the players, managers and teams set to be honored at the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony on Oct. 26.
The group of coaches nominated for the men's Coach of the Year award—officially known as the Johan Cruyff Award—was also disclosed. This will mark the third edition of the award, with Carlo Ancelotti and Luis Enrique having claimed the first two trophies in the category.
Enrique returns to the shortlist this year alongside three other Spanish coaches. Champions League-winning managers have claimed the previous two Coach of the Year awards, though that pattern could easily be broken this year.
Here's Sports Illustrated's breakdown of the five Men's Coach of the Year nominees.
5. Unai Emery
Team: Aston Villa
Titles: Europa League
Unai Emery guided Aston Villa to their first major silverware in 30 years in quintessential Emery fashion: by winning the Europa League.
Aston Villa were clearly superior to their opponents in UEFA's second-tier competition, and the Spanish tactician steered his side to triumph, claiming the Europa League title for a record-breaking fifth time in his managerial career. He has now won the competition with three separate clubs.
Emery had already etched his name in Villa's history books when he brought the club back to the Champions League for the first time since 1982 the previous season. By ending the club's lengthy trophy drought, he cemented his place among the greatest managers in the club's history.
Beyond the Europa League triumph, Villa also held their own against England's biggest clubs, finishing fourth in the Premier League. Despite not having the deepest squad available, Emery's team secured Champions League football without significant difficulty.
4. Vincent Kompany
Team: Bayern Munich
Titles: Bundesliga, German Cup, German Super Cup
Vincent Kompany's second season at Bayern Munich saw the Bavarian club maintain their stranglehold over German football, arguably more convincingly than in recent campaigns.
Bayern Munich romped to yet another league championship, dropping just a single match across the entire 34-game season. Even more remarkable is that Kompany transformed his squad into a prolific attacking force, netting 122 goals in the Bundesliga—an average of 3.5 goals per match.
Kompany's side were both devastating and efficient, and could have easily lifted the Champions League had they not narrowly been eliminated by eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain in a thrilling semifinal. Nevertheless, the Belgian manager did lead Bayern to overcome their hoodoo against 15-time winners Real Madrid in the quarterfinals.
Under Kompany, Bayern play an exciting brand of football that will undoubtedly yield further success during his tenure on the sideline.
3. Mikel Arteta
Team: Arsenal
Titles: Premier League
Arsenal supporters who heeded Mikel Arteta's call to "trust the process" were finally rewarded as the Gunners broke through and ended a 22-year Premier League title drought.
They were comfortably the finest team in England and, even through difficult spells, showed tremendous resilience to overcome every obstacle and claim the league title in Arteta's sixth complete season at the helm. Arsenal's style may not have been the most eye-catching of the Arteta era, but they were a near-perfect unit tactically and controlled proceedings for virtually the entire season.
That dominance extended to the European stage, where Arteta's Arsenal went through the entire Champions League campaign unbeaten until the final, topping the league phase and advancing to the final for only the second time in the club's history.
Claiming Arsenal's first Champions League crown wasn't to be, which is the only reason Arteta isn't ranked higher. The Gunners were beaten on penalties in the final against PSG, but with European performances clearly improving in recent years, perhaps "trusting the process" can now be directed toward finally winning the Champions League.
2. Luis Enrique
Team: Paris Saint–Germain
Titles: Champions League, Ligue 1, French Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Intercontinental Cup
Last year's recipient could realistically claim the award for a second consecutive year, mirroring what his team achieved by winning back-to-back Champions League titles. Luis Enrique's PSG are not only the best team in the world right now—they rank among the greatest sides in the modern European era.
Tasked with matching the extraordinary success of 2024–25, Enrique's PSG once again rose to the occasion when it mattered most. The vibrant, energetic, dynamic and relentless identity of the Parisians under Enrique remained intact, as they became the first club in history outside of Real Madrid to win consecutive European titles in the Champions League era.
Enrique defeated two of the other nominees on this shortlist on his way to Champions League glory. The defending champions were tested by Europe's finest and emerged victorious when all was said and done.
Three Champions League titles now sit in Enrique's trophy cabinet. He is a living legend and will be remembered as one of the greatest managers in the history of the sport.
1. Luis de la Fuente
Team: Spain
Titles: World Cup
Before the Johan Cruyff Award was established and during the period when FIFA and the Ballon d'Or were linked, the Coach of the Year was still acknowledged. In each of the last three World Cup years, the manager of the winning nation has taken home the honor.
Luis de la Fuente appears next in line to carry on that tradition. The architect of Spain's new era of dominance had already steered La Roja to victory at Euro 2024 and only added to his legacy this year by leading Spain to its second-ever World Cup title.
The manner in which Spain controlled the 2026 World Cup makes the achievement even more remarkable. La Roja conceded just one goal throughout the tournament and, while the team may not have been as exhilarating as the 2024 edition, it was unquestionably more dominant, clinical and defensively solid overall.
Spain never appeared troubled at any point during the World Cup. They never looked inferior to any opponent. De la Fuente's side dismantled teams like Portugal, France and Argentina with ease, keeping clean sheets against three of the pre-tournament favorites.
Spain made winning the World Cup look effortless, and it all began with the tactical genius pulling the strings from the dugout. De la Fuente is undoubtedly the frontrunner to claim the Men's Coach of the Year award at the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony.