Who will win men's coach of the year at Ballon d'Or 2026? Nominees in full as Mikel Arteta vies for prize

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta could add another top honour to his trophy cabinet tonight as the Ballon d’Or men’s coach of the year winner is revealed.

The Spaniard’s seven-year spell as Arsenal’s head coach came to fruition earlier this year as he steered the club to a first Premier League title since 2004, losing just five matches en route to the summit.

He also took the Gunners to the Champions League final, where they were narrowly beaten by Paris Saint-Germain on penalties.

As a reward for his lengthy pursuit of a title finally paying off, he has been nominated for the prestigious men’s coach of the year award, which will be unveiled at tonight’s Ballon d’Or ceremony.

Mikel Arteta is one of five nominees for the Ballon d’Or men’s coach of the year

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He faces stiff competition for the honour, though, with Spain mastermind Luis de la Fuente also in the running after winning the World Cup in the summer by pipping defending champions, Lionel Messi’s Argentina, in the final in New York.

Elsewhere, Paris Saint-Germain’s Luis Enrique, who denied Arteta and Arsenal the Champions League title, is nominated. He also helped the dominant Frenchmen to hoist the Intercontinental Cup, European Super Cup, Ligue 1, and the French Super Cup.

Unai Emery is the fourth and final Spaniard on the five-man shortlist. The Basque made himself the winningest manager in Europa League history last season after taking Aston Villa to the summit. It was his fifth title in the tournament with three different teams.

Bayern Munich’s Vincent Kompany completes the shortlist after perpetuating the Bavarian club’s perennial dominance of German football. The 2025/26 campaign saw the former Manchester City defender deliver a domestic treble including the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Supercup titles.

Ballon d’Or men’s coach of the year nominees

• Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
• Luis de la Fuente (Spain)
• Unai Emery (Aston Villa)
• Vincent Kompany (Bayern Munich)
• Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)