Cast your vote for BBC Women's Footballer of the Year 2026
Source: BBC Sport ↗
Voting is now open for the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year 2026, with a five‑player shortlist that includes Temwa Chawinga, Ewa Pajor, Alexia Putellas, Alessia Russo and Khadija “Bunny” Shaw. The award, now in its 12th year, will be announced on Sunday 13 December as part of the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year ceremony and simultaneously on the BBC World Service and the BBC Sport website and app. Nominees were selected by a panel of coaches, journalists and former professionals and the award covers performances from September 2025 to August 2026.
Each contender brings a distinct set of achievements from the qualifying period. Chawinga helped Kansas City Current win the NWSL Shield, scoring 15 goals, earning back‑to‑back MVP honours and a second Golden Boot, before extending her contract to 2029 and leading Malawi to its first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final and World Cup qualification, where she claimed the tournament Golden Boot with five goals. Pajor was instrumental in Barcelona’s four‑trophy haul, netting the opening goals in a 4‑0 Champions League final win over Lyon and finishing as the competition’s top scorer, while also delivering 16 league goals and five assists in Liga F and captaining Poland as its leading scorer. Putellas capped a 14‑year Barcelona career with 14 goal contributions in 11 Champions League matches, a fourth continental title, a move to London City Lionesses, a key role in Spain’s Nations League triumph and a record‑equalling third Ballon d’Or. Russo scored 13 WSL goals, added six assists, helped Arsenal win the inaugural Women’s Champions Cup and moved into England’s top‑10 all‑time scorers, while Shaw delivered 21 league goals, a third consecutive WSL Golden Boot, the WSL Player of the Season award and a decisive goal in Manchester City’s FA Cup final, signing a new four‑year deal through 2030.
The shortlist highlights the growing global reach and competitive depth of women’s football, with players excelling at club, league and international levels across three continents. Chawinga’s rise underscores the impact of African talent in the NWSL and on the world stage, while Shaw’s contract extension signals Manchester City’s intent to retain a cornerstone of its historic title win. Putellas’s transfer to a London club reflects the increasing mobility of top European stars, and Pajor’s breakthrough Champions League success illustrates Barcelona’s resurgence after years of near‑misses. As fans worldwide cast their votes, the outcome will not only crown the year’s standout performer but also reinforce the BBC award’s role in spotlighting the sport’s evolving narratives and the players shaping its future.
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🌍 Effects for your country
The U.S.'s central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The U.S.'s economy is growing at 2.3% with inflation at 3.6%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the U.S.'s own central bank rate closely. With the U.S.'s unemployment at 4.2%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the U.S. depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UK's central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UK's economy is growing at 1.3% with inflation at 3.3%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UK's own central bank rate closely. With the UK's unemployment at 5.3%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UK depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
France's central bank rate currently stands at 2%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. France's economy is growing at 0.4% with inflation at 2.4%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track France's own central bank rate closely. With France's unemployment at 8.4%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is already under strain. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in France depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
Romania's central bank rate currently stands at 6.5%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. Romania's economy is growing at -0.5% with inflation at 8.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track Romania's own central bank rate closely. With Romania's unemployment at 6.5%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in Romania depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UAE's central bank rate currently stands at 3.65%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UAE's economy is growing at -3.9% with inflation at 4.5%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UAE's own central bank rate closely. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UAE depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.