Voting has officially opened worldwide for the 2026 BBC Women's Footballer of the Year award, with a stellar five-player shortlist unveiled for the 12th edition of the honour. Chosen by a selection panel of coaches, journalists, and former professionals, contenders Temwa Chawinga, Ewa Pajor, Alexia Putellas, Alessia Russo, and Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw are being recognised for their achievements between September 2025 and September 2026. Global supporters have until Wednesday, 18 November at 09:00 GMT to submit their votes.
Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga earned her place following an extraordinary run in the National Women's Soccer League, scoring 15 goals in the 2025 season to claim her second consecutive Golden Boot and become the first player to win back-to-back NWSL MVP awards. Chawinga, who helped her club secure the NWSL Shield and signed a contract extension through 2029, also guided Malawi alongside her sister Tabitha to their first Women's Africa Cup of Nations final and an inaugural Women's World Cup berth, taking home the Wafcon Golden Boot with five goals. Barcelona striker Ewa Pajor is nominated after netting 16 league goals and five assists in 23 Liga F matches to secure a domestic treble, part of a four-trophy campaign. The Poland captain and record scorer finally lifted her first Champions League title following five previous final losses, finishing as top scorer after scoring Barcelona's first two goals in a 4-0 final victory over Lyon.
Midfielder Alexia Putellas capped a 14-year stay at Barcelona with four major honours, registering 14 goal contributions in 11 Champions League outings before completing a July 2026 move to London City Lionesses citing the club's "women-only identity and ambition". Putellas, who recently collected a record-equalling third Ballon d'Or, also helped Spain retain the Women's Nations League in late 2025, scoring three semi-final goals against Sweden before earning player of the finals honours in a 3-0 triumph over Germany. Arsenal forward Alessia Russo registered 24 goals and eight assists across all competitions, lifting the inaugural Women's Champions Cup with a 3-2 extra-time win against Corinthians and reaching 30 senior England goals. Meanwhile, Manchester City's Khadija Shaw spearheaded her side's domestic Double, ending a 10-year wait for the league title with 21 goals in 22 games to secure WSL Player of the Season and a record third consecutive Golden Boot, while becoming the first player in City women's history to score 100 goals before signing a deal through 2030.
For the first time in the competition's history, the winner will be unveiled during the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year programme on Sunday, December 13, alongside coverage on the BBC World Service, BBC Sport website, and app. The successful player will join an esteemed list of previous honorees, which includes recent recipients Hannah Hampton, Barbra Banda, and Mary Earps.
Explore our daily Poisson probability distributions, Expected Goals (xG) models, and comprehensive tactical fixture previews.
