Barcelona’s Yamal baggage Young Sportsperson of the Year accolade a 12 months after successful the Breakthrough award in 2025.
Published On 21 Apr 2026
Tennis dominated the purple carpet in Madrid as Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz had been topped Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year on the Laureus Awards.
The pair had been honoured on Monday after glittering 2025 campaigns that noticed them end atop the ladies’s and males’s tennis rankings, respectively.
Recommended Stories
checklist of three objectsfinish of checklist
Spaniard Alcaraz, 22, reclaimed the year-end world primary spot after capturing two Grand Slam titles on the French Open and US Open, underlining his supremacy throughout surfaces.
Belarusian Sabalenka, 27, in the meantime, stood alongside him within the winners’ circle in New York and additionally reached the ultimate in Australia and France, capping a season of relentless consistency.
With her triumph, Sabalenka joins a roll name of Laureus Sportswoman of the Year recipients from her sport, together with Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Justine Henin and Naomi Osaka.
Barcelona and Spain athlete Lamine Yamal, 18, gained the Young Sportsperson of the Year award. It is the second award for the younger Barca ahead after being voted Breakthrough Sportsperson of the Year in 2025, making him the youngest athlete to have gained two Laureus awards.
German soccer nice Toni Kroos gained the world sporting inspiration award, and retired gymnast Nadia Comaneci received the lifetime achievement prize.
The world motion sportsperson award went to American snowboarder Chloe Kim.
Brazilian Gabriel Araujo was the world sportsperson of the 12 months with a incapacity.
In a primary for the awards, the ceremony was hosted by two athletes – each former Laureus winners – Novak Djokovic and Eileen Gu. Last 12 months’s top honours went to gymnast Simone Biles and pole-vaulter Mondo Duplantis.
McIlroy takes comeback prize
Elsewhere, Rory McIlroy claimed the World Comeback of the Year Award after ending an 11-year wait to complete the profession Grand Slam with a playoff victory on the 2025 Masters, a title he defended in 2026.
Formula One’s Lando Norris was named World Breakthrough of the Year, whereas Paris St Germain took World Team of the Year after a trophy haul in 2025 that included the French league and Cup, plus their first Champions League crown.
The Laureus World Sports Awards nominees are chosen by the worldwide media, whereas the winners are decided by the 69 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy.
The awards have been offered yearly since 2000.
Laureus winners 2026:
- World Sportsman of the Year Award: Carlos Alcaraz
- World Sportswoman of the Year Award: Aryna Sabalenka
- World Team of the Year Award: Paris Saint-Germain
- World Breakthrough of the Year Award: Lando Norris
- World Comeback of the Year Award: Rory McIlroy
- World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award: Gabriel Araujo
- World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award: Chloe Kim
- World Young Sportsperson of the Year Award: Lamine Yamal
- Laureus Sporting Inspiration Award: Toni Kroos
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Nadia Comaneci
- Laureus Sport for Good Award: Futbol Mas.