The five-man shortlist for the 2026 Men’s Coach of the Year award has been unveiled, recognising outstanding managerial performances during the 2025/26 football season.
The nominees were revealed on the award organisers’ X account on Tuesday.
The contenders are Mikel Arteta of Arsenal, Luis Enrique of Paris Saint-Germain, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, Unai Emery of Aston Villa and Vincent Kompany of Bayern Munich.
The list features four Spanish coaches and one Belgian, Kompany.
Here is a look at the achievements of the shortlisted managers:
Mikel Arteta — Arsenal
Arteta enjoyed a remarkable campaign with Arsenal last season, leading the club to Premier League glory and ending the Gunners’ 22-year wait for the title.
The 44-year-old Spaniard became Arsenal manager in 2019 and has since delivered four Emirates Cups, one FA Cup and three Community Shields.
He recently marked another career landmark after reaching 250 Premier League matches as a manager.
Luis Enrique — PSG
Enrique is nominated for the award again after winning the honour in the 2024/25 season.
The former Barcelona manager, who won La Liga and the Champions League with the Catalan club, has achieved similar success in France, guiding PSG to back-to-back Champions League triumphs in 2024/25 and 2025/26.
His PSG honours also include three domestic league titles, one FIFA Intercontinental Cup, two UEFA Super Cups, two Coupe de France trophies and three Trophée des Champions.
Luis de la Fuente — Spain
At 65, De la Fuente recently became the oldest coach to win the FIFA World Cup after guiding Spain to the title, according to FIFA.
Since taking charge of La Roja in 2024, he has secured three major honours: the 2024 UEFA European Championship, the 2023 UEFA Nations League and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Unai Emery — Aston Villa
Emery, 54, led Aston Villa to Europa League success last season.
The fourth Spaniard on the shortlist has also overseen 200 matches at the club, recording a 55 per cent win rate.
He previously made history at Sevilla by winning three successive Europa League titles before adding a fourth with Aston Villa.
Vincent Kompany — Bayern Munich
Former Premier League champion and Belgium captain Kompany took charge of Bayern Munich in 2024.
The Belgian manager has guided the Bavarians to five trophies, including two Bundesliga titles, two German Super Cups and one DFB-Pokal.
