Aitana Bonmatí, became the first woman to win three Ballon d’Or awards and the 2024 winner is shortlisted again for the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year Award. She is joined by two of Team USA’s superstars from the World Athletic Championships. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden became the second woman in history to win the Triple Crown (100m, 200m, 4x100m) and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broke the championship record in the 400m and won team gold in the 4x400m relay at her first championships since moving from the hurdles to the flat. Faith Kipyegon receives a third-consecutive nomination after a record-breaking fourth World Championships gold medal in the 1500m. Katie Ledecky took her World Aquatics Championships medal count to an unmatched 30 with two golds, a silver and bronze, while Aryna Sabalenka defended her place at the top of women’s tennis with the US Open title and three Grand Slam final appearances.
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Nominee Aitana Bonmatí, said: “I’d like to thank Laureus and their panel of global sports media for nominating me for this Award for the third time in a row. It’s a pleasure to be recognised, but this nomination wouldn’t be possible without my teammates and all of the staff and coaches for my club and national team. These Awards help us athletes give visibility to our own causes: thanks to Laureus, my work and the achievements of my fellow Nominees can inspire girls and boys around the world, and that’s a huge source of pride for me.”
This year’s Nominees for the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award announced their talents with memorable performances. French winger Désiré Doué ensured his debut season for Paris Saint-Germain was one to remember, scoring twice and assisting once in the UEFA Champions League final. Lando Norris pipped 2022 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Max Verstappen to the Formula One Drivers Championship, winning his maiden title by two points at the last race of the season. Luke Littler became the youngest-ever PDC World Darts Champion en route to completing the Triple Crown (World Championship, World Matchplay and Premier League), while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became the fourth basketball player to win the NBA’s regular season MVP, Finals MVP and Scoring Champion titles within the same season. Nineteen-year-old Joāo Fonseca debuted at all four tennis Grand Slam tournaments, and 12-year-old Yu Zidi – the youngest ever Nominee at these Awards – won bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay at the World Aquatics Championships. Which of them will win an Award that has foreshadowed some of the greatest careers in sport, including those of Marc Márquez, Lewis Hamilton and Rafael Nadal?
Maiden triumphs dominate the headlines for the Laureus World Team of the Year Award, which sees multiple female teams shortlisted for the first time. Oklahoma City Thunder won a first NBA title in franchise history, equalling the season win total of the 1996/97 Chicago Bulls (84) in the process. A 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan brought Paris Saint-Germain a first UEFA Champions League trophy and they completed 2025 with six titles including a domestic treble, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup. In their Cricket World Cup semi-final against Australia, the India Women’s Cricket Team pulled off the highest successful run chase in women’s ODI history (339) – before winning their first title against South Africa and are the first women’s cricket team to be nominated for this Award. The England Women’s Football Team defended their European Championships crown with a shoot-out win against Spain, whilst the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team defended the World Constructors Championship with six Grands Prix to spare. Shane Lowry’s half point on the final day in New York saw the European Ryder Cup Team win their 16th title, ending a 13-year away win drought for Europe.
This year, the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award recognises the remarkable stories of six athletes who have triumphed on the world stage despite adversity, injury and time away from their respective sports. Amanda Anisimova announced an indefinite leave from professional tennis in May 2023 to prioritise her mental health, before reaching two Grand Slam finals only a year after her return. A collision with a bus during a training ride in 2022 could have claimed Egan Bernal’slife – instead, Bernal held off Mikel Landa to win stage 16 at the Vuelta a España. Rory McIlroy had endured 11 long years without a Major win but ended his drought in sublime fashion with a first Masters title, clinched by a play-off win over Justin Rose. A tendon injury left Yulimar Rojas in intense pain and unable to compete at Paris 2024 but, one year after undergoing successful surgery, Rojas won a bronze medal in the Triple Jump at the World Championships. LeahWilliamson – who captained Arsenal and England to Champions League and European Championship titles respectively – missed nearly 10 months of football following an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2023. In 2018, a 38-minute lead for Simon Yates vanished at the penultimate stage of the Giro d’Italia: seven years later, he cast out those demons to win the Maglia Rosa by nearly four minutes.
The Nominees for the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award are an extraordinary group of athletes, each of whom pushed themselves to the limit throughout 2025 and are rewarded with a place on the shortlist for an Award that has celebrated some of the most breathtaking sporting stories of the past quarter century. Despite starting from the back of the grid, last year’s winner of this Award Tom Pidcock stormed to victory at the European Mountain Bike Championships in Portugal, before taking a podium place at the Vuelta a España in August. Three-time Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award Nominee Rayssa Leal receives a fourth nomination in the category, after winning gold in Street at the World Skateboarding Championships. Snowboarder Chloe Kim won the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award in 2019 and 2020 and won an eighth X Games gold in Superpipe to become the most decorated athlete in that event. Two exemplary surfers, Yago Dora and Molly Picklum, won maiden titles at the WSL World Championships and the World Surf League respectively, ending 2025 as the men’s and women’s World No.1 seeds. Mountain athlete Kilian Jornet summited 72 peaks and ascended a total of 400,000 feet in 31 days during his ‘States of Elevation’ challenge.
A trio of Para swimmers are nominated for the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award following success at the World Para Swimming Championships. Gabriel Araújobroke his world record in the 150m Individual Medley SM3, on his way to three gold medals. A thrilling 400m freestyle S9 gold was the highlight of a four-gold performance by Simone Barlaam, while David Kratochvíl completed an astonishing seven-medal haul from seven races aged just 17. In Para Athletics, Catherine Debrunner and Kiara Rodríguez set championship records in 1500m T4 and Long Jump T47, while Debrunner won five golds and Rodriguez three. Kelsey DiClaudiowas awarded the MVP award at the World Para Ice Hockey Women’s World Championships, after finishing the tournament as its leading scorer. Four of DiClaudio’s 11 goals came during the 7-1 victory over Canada in the gold medal match.
Laureus Sport for Good supports over 300 sports-based programmes across 40 countries worldwide. Every year, the Laureus Sport for Good Award recognises one of those programmes, as selected by Members of the Laureus World Sports Academy. This year, the shortlist includes: Fútbol Mas, a charity founded in 2008 that now supports young people in 11 countries across Africa, Europe and South America; MindLeaps, who employ a pioneering programme of academic tuition and dance classes to boost youth employability and critical cognitive skills; Transformación Social TRASO, a Mexican charity combining twice weekly martial arts classes with group therapy sessions for children aged 5-12, and young adults aged 15-24; A.S.D. Gruppo Sportivo Valanga, a Turin-based charity seeking to improve the physical and mental well-being of participants through sport; Rugby for Good, who offer rugby classes for children with ADHD in Hong Kong, China; and Kings County Tennis League who, in their 15th year of operation, bring tennis to nearly 1,000 vulnerable young people in Brooklyn, New York.
The full list of Nominees is:
LAUREUS WORLD SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR
Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) Tennis – won the French Open and US Open, ending 2025 as the year-end World No.1
Ousmane Dembélé (France) Football – top goalscorer as Paris Saint-Germain won six titles in 2025, and winner of the Ballon d’Or and The Best FIFA awards
Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) Athletics – won third consecutive outdoor world championship and set four new world records, whilst going undefeated in 2025
Marc Márquez (Spain) Motor Cycling – the 2025 MotoGP World Champion, winning 11 Grand Prix races across 17 starts
Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) Cycling – won a third yellow jersey at the 2025 Tour de France, claiming four stage wins
Jannik Sinner (Italy) Tennis – winner of the Australian Open and Wimbledon, alongside the ATP Tour Finals title and the Paris Masters
LAUREUS WORLD SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR
Aitana Bonmatí (Spain) Football – claimed a third-consecutive Ballon d’Or after winning the domestic treble with FC Barcelona and reaching the Champions League and European Championship finals
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA) Athletics – became only the second woman to win the World Championships Triple Crown – the 100m, 200m and 4x100m
Faith Kipyegon (Kenya) Athletics – won a fourth World Championships gold medal in the 1500m final: the first woman to achieve the feat
Katie Ledecky (USA) Swimming – won two gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships, taking her total World Championship medal count to 30
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) Athletics – broke the World Championships 400m record, whilst winning gold with Team USA in the 4x400m relay
Aryna Sabalenka Tennis – year-end World No.1 for the second-consecutive year, after reaching three Grand Slam finals and winning the US Open
LAUREUS WORLD TEAM OF THE YEAR
England Women’s Football Team– defended their European Championship title with a penalty shoot-out victory over reigning world champions, Spain
European Ryder Cup Team Golf – claimed a 16th Ryder Cup title after a 15-13 win: Europe’s first away win since 2012
India Women’s Cricket Team – won a maiden World Cup title, after recording the highest successful run chase in women’s ODI history in a semi-final win against Australia
McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team (UK) Motor Racing – won their 10th World Constructors’ Championship with six races to spare
Oklahoma City Thunder (USA) Basketball – equalled the 1996/97 Chicago Bulls team for NBA season wins en route to winning their first NBA championship
Paris Saint-Germain (France) Football – won a first UEFA Champions League title, defeating Inter Milan 5-0 and a historic six titles across the calendar year
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 (Czechia) 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 Inclusion – offers inclusion 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
