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The Puskas Award is an annual prize in football which recognises the best, most aesthetically beautiful goal scored within a 12-month period. Named in honour of Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas, who is widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all time, it was first introduced in 2009 and has been won by some of the best players in the world.
Cristiano Ronaldo won the inaugural Puskas Award, with global superstars such as Neymar, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Mohamed Salah also scooping the accolade. However, since the prize is agnostic when it comes to level of championship, nationality and so forth, plenty of relatively unknown figures have featured in the roll of honour, as well as earning recognition through nominations alone.
In the early years, the Puskas Award was voted for by the fans, but FIFA has altered the jury to a select group of former players, whose knowledge and expertise of the game provides them with a first-hand appreciation of beauty in the sport.
Competition is invariably high, given the truly global nature of football, and the 2026 edition has the added intrigue of covering a World Cup year, with no shortage of beautiful strikes occurring in North America last summer. Here, GIVEMESPORT ranks the potential contenders for the 2026 Puskas Award, having previously ranked the 11 best contenders for the 2025 Puskas Award.
NOTE: We have limited the period in which goals are scored to August 11, 2025 to August 2, 2026 (mirroring last season).
Harrison Reed became just the second British player to win the Premier League's goal of the season award when his last-minute thunderbolt against Liverpool was chosen as the best goal of the 2025/26 season. The Reds looked to be on their way to victory thanks to a stoppage time goal from Cody Gakpo, but Reed had other ideas. Collecting the ball 30 yards from goal, the midfielder took a touch, glanced up and unleashed a rasper into the top corner, beating one of the best goalkeepers of all time in Alisson.
This goal came courtesy of one of the best young players in the game, Arda Guler, whose 68-metre lob was declared La Liga's goal of the season for 2025/26. The Turkish playmaker had entered the fray as a substitute and Madrid were already cruising to victory when he clocked that Matias Dituro had strayed a little too far off his line. There is so much more than pure brute power involved in a goal like this; it requires deft technique and precision, feeling the wind, knowing which way to hit the ball and exactly how much power is needed.
Driven mainly by the star power of Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, Norway were definite 'Dark Horses' at the 2026 World Cup and, for a moment, it looked like they might have the better of England in the quarter-finals, when Andreas Schjelderup blasted the ball over the head of Jordan Pickford and into the far side of the net. The difficult angle and Schjelderup's controlled technique made this goal particularly special.
Nigeria international Christantus Uche played his part in Crystal Palace's successful Europa Conference League campaign and his goal in the League Phase against KuPS will live long in the memory. After drifting forward into the hole, Uche bamboozled the defender by turning inside towards goal and then left the goalkeeper stranded with a surgical outside-of-the-boot finish.
Were it not for Sidny Lopes Cabral's strike (see below), Julian Alvarez's crucial goal in the quarter-final against Switzerland might have won the 2026 World Cup goal of the tournament. The Albiceleste were tied 1-1 with the Swiss deep into extra time and penalties were looming, but Alvarez dug deep into his locker to produce one of the most remarkable edge-of-the-box efforts you'll ever see at a World Cup.
Zavier Gozo made a habit of scoring world-class goals during his time in MLS, and he did so in September 2025 with a glorious over-the-shoulder scissor-kick strike against Los Angeles FC. Capitalising on a moment of confusion in the LAFC box, Gozo reacted quickest to a dropping ball and, despite having his back to the net, whipped a flying volley past none other than Hugo Lloris - once one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Winner of the 2026 World Cup goal of the tournament, Sidney Lopes Cabral's stunning strike against Argentina is surely a contender for the Puskas Award. Tiny island nation Cape Verde were a surprise package at the tournament and Cabral's goal allowed the nation to dream, if only briefly. Collecting the ball wide on the left, Cabral anticipated the press of Alexis Mac Allister and skipped inside towards the box before bending the ball beyond the reach of Emiliano Martinez. The goal sent shockwaves through the world of football as Cabral launched himself into the crowd in celebration.
Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazilian wonderkid Isaque displayed classic Samba artistry with his overhead kick goal in the Europa Conference League against Lech Poznan. Capitalising on a poor clearance, the attacker brought the ball under control with his head and, seeing it hover nicely in the air, he decided to leap into the air and boot the ball into the back of the net. Sensational skill.
Cemran Dansin's contribution to this collection of wondergoals is a truly spectacular first-time volley from outside the box. When the Mamelodi Sundowns defence thought they had cleared the danger from a corner, Dansin thought otherwise. The midfielder was lurking at the edge of the area and did not take his eye off the ball once as he lashed it into the back of the net off the crossbar. Ninety-nine times out of 100 those go into row Z, so do pull it off under pressure shows remarkable composure.
Very few players will actually attempt a 'Rabona' on the pitch, but you never expect it from a centre-back. Driss El Jabali stunned fans in Morocco in early 2026 when he contorted his body and caught the goalkeeper unawares. So rare are 'Rabona' goals that El Jabali's is certainly already a contender for the greatest rabona goal of all time, up there with Erik Lamela's efforts.
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