London Football Awards 2026: Bringing the capital’s finest talent together at a brand new venue

The spotlight was on London’s finest footballing talent at the London Football Awards 2026 held at Exhibition White City on Thursday 5 March, where some of football’s biggest names assembled to celebrate their achievements.

The annual event, organised by and held in support of Willow, united players past and present, football legends and supporters of the charity to pay tribute to outstanding achievements in the world of London football, whilst raising essential funds for Special Days – unforgettable experiences for seriously ill young adults.

As always, prestigious awards such as Premier League Player of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year and Manager of the Year were contested, and young players were recognised in the Young Player of the Year categories. In addition, new categories were introduced this year, the PFA Women in the Community award, and the PFA Men in the Community award, along with the Willow Unsung Hero award.

Declan Rice picked up the award for Premier League Player of the Year and said, “To be nominated, to be picked by the panel, by the fans, is obviously very special. I’m up against players [who all] could have easily won the award. Every season I go into trying to find ways how I can keep improving, keep evolving, and so far I’ve kept doing that so I’ve just got to keep going.”

In a triumph for Chelsea FC, Alyssa Thompson was a deserving winner of Women’s Young Player of the Year, saying over video “Thank you so much for the award, it means so much to me. It’s an honour to be named alongside some really amazing talent.”

The full list of this year’s winners is:

• Outstanding Contribution to London Football, sponsored by Weston Homes: Ashley Cole
• Premier League Player of the Year, sponsored by MiQ: Declan Rice
• English Football League Player of the Year, sponsored by Jump: Michael Cheek
• Men’s Young Player of the Year, sponsored by GOAL: Estêvão
• Goalkeeper of the Year: David Raya
• Women’s Super League Player of the Year, sponsored by Mappin & Webb: Alessia Russo
• Women’s Young Player of the Year, sponsored by MiQ: Alyssa Thompson
• Manager of the Year, sponsored by Odyssean: Mikel Arteta
• Community Project of the Year, sponsored by The i Paper: Millwall Youth & Employability HUB
• PFA Men’s Player in the Community Champion, sponsored by PFA: Eberechi Eze and the Eze Foundation
• PFA Women’s Player in the Community Champion, sponsored by PFA: Millie Bright OBE
• The Power of Football, sponsored by Gung Ho: Lionesses
• Willow Unsung Hero: Sean O’Connor, Arsenal

This unforgettable night would not have been possible without the continuing generosity of our sponsors, including headline sponsor, MiQ.

• Headline sponsors: MiQ
• Trophy partner: Mappin and Webb
• The PFA
• The i Paper
• GOAL
• Jump
• Gung Ho
• Odyssean Enterprises
• Weston Homes

We would also like to thank everyone who attended and supported this year’s event. To learn more about the London Football Awards, visit the London Football Awards website.