Laureus Sports Awards 2026: Full List of Nominees as India Women's Cricket Team gets Historic Nomination

The India Women's Cricket Team has earned a historic nomination for the Laureus World Team of the Year Award, honoring their groundbreaking 2025 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup victory-their first ever-on home soil in Mumbai.

This marks the first time a women's cricket side has been shortlisted for this elite honor, spotlighting their resilience after early group-stage defeats to South Africa, Australia, and England. They staged a stunning comeback, achieving the record highest ODI run chase in the semi-final against Australia before clinching a 52-run final win over South Africa, igniting nationwide celebrations.

Competing against them are powerhouse teams like the England Women's Football Team, who defended their UEFA European Championship via penalties against Spain; Paris Saint-Germain, fresh off a UEFA Champions League triumph and six trophies; McLaren's Formula 1 squad with a 10th Constructors' title; the European Ryder Cup winners; and Oklahoma City Thunder, equaling the Bulls' regular-season record en route to NBA glory.

In individual categories, Carlos Alcaraz leads Sportsman nominees after French Open and US Open wins, joined by Jannik Sinner (Australian Open, Wimbledon), Ousmane Dembélé (Ballon d'Or), Mondo Duplantis (undefeated with records), Marc Márquez (MotoGP), and Tadej Pogačar (Tour de France). Aitana Bonmatí seeks a third Sportswoman nod post-Barcelona treble and Ballon d'Or, alongside Melissa Jefferson-Wooden's sprint triple crown, Faith Kipyegon's 1500m record, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Katie Ledecky (30 medals), and Aryna Sabalenka.

Breakthrough stars include PSG's teenage sensation Désiré Doué (Champions League final goals), João Fonseca, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luke Littler, Lando Norris, and swimmer Yu Zidi. Comebacks feature Amanda Anisimova's Grand Slam finals, Rory McIlroy's Masters, Leah Williamson's titles post-ACL, and others like Egan Bernal and Yulimar Rojas.

Laureus Sports Awards 2026 Full List of Nominees

Check out the Laureus Sports Awards 2026 here-

LAUREUS WORLD BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR

Désiré Doué (France) Football - scored twice for Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final and finished second in voting for the 2025 FIFA Kopa Trophy
João Fonseca (Brazil) Tennis - debuted at all four Grand Slam tournaments, reaching the third round of the French Open and Wimbledon
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada) Basketball - became the fourth player in basketball history to win the NBA regular season MVP, Finals MVP and scoring champion in the same season
Luke Littler (UK) Darts - became the youngest-ever PDC World Darts champion, completing the career Triple Crown
Lando Norris (UK) Motor Racing - won a maiden Formula One World Drivers' Championship title at the final race of the season
Yu Zidi (China) Swimming - the youngest-ever World Aquatics Championships medallist at only 12-years-old

LAUREUS WORLD COMEBACK OF THE YEAR

Amanda Anisimova (USA) Tennis - reached the Wimbledon and US Open finals, two years after stepping away from tennis to prioritise her mental health
Egan Bernal (Colombia) Cycling - won a first Grand Tour stage since a near-fatal crash in 2022
Rory McIlroy (UK) Golf - won a first Masters title, ending an 11-year wait for another Major win, and completed the Career Grand Slam
Yulimar Rojas (Venezuela) Athletics - returned to the global stage at the World Athletics Championship, winning bronze after a two-year absence due to an Achilles injury
Leah Williamson (UK) Football - won the UEFA Women's Champions League and the European Championships, one year after returning to football following an ACL injury
Simon Yates (UK) Cycling - won the 2025 Giro d'Italia, seven years after losing a 38-minute lead in 2018

LAUREUS WORLD ACTION SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR

Yago Dora (Brazil) Surfing - won a first WSL World Championship title and secured the WSL World No.1 seed
Kilian Jornet (Spain) Ultra Running - summitted all 72 of the 14,000-feet peaks in the USA over the course of just 31 days
Chloe Kim (USA) Snowboarding - became the most decorated woman in X Games history with an eighth gold medal in Superpipe
Rayssa Leal (Brazil) Skateboarding - won Street gold at the SLS Super Crown World Championships, her fourth consecutive title
Molly Picklum (Australia) Surfing - won a first World Surf League championship after defeating 2023 champion, Caroline Marks, in a best of three match
Tom Pidcock (UK) Cycling - won the European XCO title as well as a first Grand Tour podium at the Vuelta a España

LAUREUS WORLD SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR WITH A DISABILITY

Gabriel Araújo (Brazil) Para Swimming - won three gold medals at the 2025 World Para Swimming Championships whilst breaking the world record in 150m individual medley
Simone Barlaam (Italy) Para Swimming - four golds at the World Aquatics Championships took his career tally to 23
Catherine Debrunner (Switzerland) Para Athletics - won five gold medals at the World Para Athletics Championships, setting a championship record in 1500m T54
Kelsey DiClaudio (USA) Para Ice Hockey - finished the World Championship as MVP and leading scorer
David Kratochvíl (Czech Republic) Para Swimming - won four gold, two bronze and a silver medal at the World Para Swimming Championships
Kiara Rodríguez (Ecuador) Para Athletics - won three gold medals and set the Women's Long Jump T47 championship record at the World Championships

LAUREUS SPORT FOR GOOD SHORTLIST

A.S.D Gruppo Sportivo Valanga (Italy) Multi-sport x Employability - offers educational opportunities through a combination of sports workshops and sports psychology
Fútbol Mas (Global) Football x Wellbeing - promotes inclusivity, teamwork and respect through football tournaments
Kings County Tennis League (USA) Tennis x Inclusion - breaks down economic barriers preventing local youth from accessing tennis
MindLeaps (Global) Dance x Employability - develops cognitive skills through an innovative programme of dance classes and academic tuition
Rugby For Good (Hong Kong, China) Rugby x Inclusion - champions social and gender equity for children with ADHD
Transformación Social TRASO (Mexico) Martial Arts x Wellbeing - offers twice-weekly boxing and martial arts classes alongside professionally-led group therapy