The race to crown the sport's next prodigy is nearing its end, as European football prepares to name the 2026 Golden Boy. The most coveted accolade for any of the best young players in world football, the award has often provided a precursor to widespread success in professional football.

Anticipation and debate over who could secure the award has been amplified with the reveal of the 25-man shortlist. After an incredible World Cup, another Champions League triumph for Paris Saint-Germain, and a highly competitive Premier League campaign, the nominees are reflective of the depth of talent currently found in Europe's elite leagues.

Ahead of the gala, here are all the key details for those hoping to tune into the event.

Golden Boy 2026 Ceremony Date & How to Watch

• Date: December 14, 2026
• Venue: Turin, Italy

The Golden Boy ceremony, one of the key dates in the 2026/27 football season, will take place on December 14 2026, in Turin, Italy. The winner of the award will be announced prior to the ceremony, with the reveal expected to take place mid-November.

Fans can tune into official streams on the Tuttosport website and the publication's YouTube channel, while major European sports networks are also expected to broadcast the gala live.

Golden Boy 2026 Nominees

Whilst the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Chelsea have multiple entries on the list, there are a few surprise inclusions from less prominent teams. Bournemouth and Brighton will be celebrating two nominees each after impressive Premier League campaigns. The Bundesliga is also well represented with five nominees — only one of whom plays for champions Bayern Munich.

Previous winners Desire Doue and Lamine Yamal have performed well enough to be nominated, but due to the award's strict ruling that a player can only win the Golden Boy once, they have not been shortlisted.

The Premier League is well represented with eight nominees on the shortlist — more than any other league in Europe. However, despite winning the Premier League and reaching the Champions League final (as well as having several eligible players), Arsenal have just one nominee on the list.

What is the Golden Boy Award?

Origins

Established in 2003 by the Italian newspaper Tuttosport, the Golden Boy was created to recognize the most outstanding under-21 footballer playing in a top-tier European league over a calendar year. With that in mind, the judging period considers performances from the second half of the previous season (2025/26) and the opening months of the current season (2026/27).

Voting and Decision Process

The winner is decided by a panel of 50 sports journalists representing leading newspapers and media outlets across Europe. These include L'Équipe, Marca, Bild, The Times, and De Telegraaf. Each journalist votes for five players, distributing points (10, 7, 5, 3, and 1) to determine the overall winner. Additionally, football fans can vote separately online to determine the winner of the Golden Boy Web Award.

The 25-man shortlist that the journalists choose from is determined using the Golden Boy Index, which is developed by Football Benchmark. The criteria included in the index takes into account the quality of the team they play for, the minutes completed by the player, and their performance level. The index ranking also considers how well the players fare in European and international tournaments, such as the Champions League and the World Cup.

Past Winners

The honour roll for past Golden Boy winners is a who's who of the very best talents in European football over the past two decades. Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart was the inaugural winner in 2003, and the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, and Wayne Rooney received the award before going on to have incredible careers.

Over the last decade, many of the current crop of top-tier stars won the award at the beginning of their promising careers. Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, and Jude Bellingham are also past recipients of the award.