Arsenal Lead Capital Charge As 2026 Honours Shortlist For London Football Awards Is Revealed

London does love a big night out, and the MiQ-sponsored London Football Awards are shaping up to be the capital’s black-tie version of derby day – tackles replaced by tuxedos, VAR swapped for very expensive tickets.

The London Football Awards 2026 shortlist has been announced, celebrating the standout performances, leadership and community graft of clubs and players right across the city during the 2025/26 season.

Arsenal Everywhere You Look

If there were a league table for nominations, Arsenal would already be clearing space on the mantelpiece. They rack up nine nods across their men’s and women’s sides, with Chelsea lurking in second with six.

On the pitch, Arsenal’s rise back to the summit is written all over the Premier League Player of the Year shortlist. Midfield metronome Declan Rice and versatile defender Jurriën Timber both make the cut, reflecting a season in which the Gunners sit top of the table and are stalking their first league title in 22 years.

They’re not being handed it, either. The Arsenal duo are up against Igor Thiago, who has rattled in 16 league goals for his London side, and Harry Wilson, whose 12 goal contributions have helped Fulham climb to ninth. Chelsea’s midfield enforcer Moisés Caicedo completes a fiercely competitive five-man shortlist.

Arsenal’s fingerprints are all over the ballot paper. Mikel Arteta is in the frame for Manager of the Year, while David Raya is up for Goalkeeper of the Year after a season of safe hands and even safer passing angles.

Young Guns: Capital’s Next Generation

If the Premier League Player of the Year is the main course, the Young Player of the Year category is London’s tasting menu of what’s coming next. This award recognises players who were under 21 at the start of the calendar year in which the season began, and it’s stacked with capital talent.

At the heart of it is Adam Wharton, the elegant Crystal Palace and England midfielder who looks like he’s been playing top-flight football since the last time flip phones were in fashion. He’s joined by Estêvão, the teenage Brazilian who has made an electric start to life at Stamford Bridge since his summer arrival.

There’s defensive steel too, with Michael Kayode earning recognition for his work at Brentford. Further up the pitch, Josh King represents Fulham, while Oliver Scarles flies the flag for West Ham United.

It’s a list that suggests the London Football Awards will be talking about this group for years to come – assuming the big two in Spain don’t back the truck up in the meantime.

WSL Stars Take Centre Stage

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Over in the Women’s Super League, Arsenal again march out in front like they own the place. They claim three of the five slots for WSL Player of the Year, with striker Alessia Russo, flying full-back Emily Fox and captain Kim Little MBE all recognised for another season of controlled chaos inflicted on opposition backlines.

Trying to spoil the north London party are Chelsea midfielder Keira Walsh and Olivia Holdt of Tottenham Hotspur, both of whom have stitched together campaigns that would stand out in any league on the planet.

The Women’s Young Player of the Year category reads like a transfer scout’s dream list. Chelsea’s new signing Alyssa Thompson joins teammate Wieke Kaptein among the nominees, underlining the club’s commitment to hoarding bright young things as if they were match programmes. Tottenham, not to be left behind, see Cathinka Tandberg and Tōko Koga shortlisted after standout seasons.

Rounding out the group is Freya Godfrey, recognised for her role in a landmark year for London City Lionesses as they navigate their first campaign in the WSL. For a debutant club to muscle into the London Football Awards conversation this quickly says plenty about the project.

EFL: Bromley And Millwall Fly The Flag

Drop down the pyramid and you’ll find the EFL categories humming with London stories as well. Bromley, enjoying an outstanding season that has them perched at the top of League Two, are rewarded with a cluster of nominations.

Striker Michael Cheek and creator-in-chief Mitch Pinnock are shortlisted for EFL Player of the Year, while safe-pair-of-gloves Grant Smith is nominated for Goalkeeper of the Year. On the touchline, manager Andy Woodman gets the nod for Manager of the Year, a neat reflection of a club punching through the glass ceiling with something approaching reckless enthusiasm.

Championship side Millwall are also in the thick of it after a strong campaign. Attacker Femi Azeez and defender Tristan Crama are both nominated for EFL Player of the Year, while head coach Alex Neil is recognised in the Manager of the Year category.

For the EFL outfits, a good night at the London Football Awards won’t earn promotion – but it might finally get them as many headlines as some of their pricier neighbours.

Beyond The Pitch: Community Champions Take A Bow

New for 2026, the London Football Awards introduce two PFA Player in the Community Champion honours – one for men, one for women – shining a floodlight on the player-led initiatives that made a difference across 2025.

In the men’s category, creative powerhouse Eberechi Eze and The Eze Foundation are recognised alongside Jimmy Dunne of QPR and Lukas Jensen of Millwall. These are players using their platform for something more enduring than a trending clip.

On the women’s side, the nominees are just as impressive: Chelsea and England stalwart Millie Bright OBE, Anna Filbey of Watford, and Arsenal’s Lotte Wubben-Moy, who has been a vocal advocate for equality and access in the women’s game.

Community impact stretches beyond individuals, too. The Community Project of the Year award pits the Millwall Community Trust against the Palace for Life Foundation and the West Ham Foundation, each recognised for work that rarely makes the back pages but often changes lives.

As Honorary President of the organising charity, former Arsenal and England goalkeeper David Seaman MBE knows exactly what the night represents. Speaking about the awards, he said:

“We’ve got an incredible list of nominees for our 2026 awards, recognising the very best of our footballing community here in London. So many of our clubs have achieved remarkable things both on and off the pitch this season, and we’re excited to celebrate these accomplishments next month, all whilst raising vital funds for Willow.”

Willow: The Charity Behind The Glitter

For all the glitz, the London Football Awards are not just another excuse to polish the silverware. The night is organised by Willow, a national charity providing special experiences for seriously ill young adults aged 16 to 40. Every table sold and every raffle ticket waved in the air helps create more of those “once-in-a-lifetime” memories.

Willow was founded by former Arsenal goalkeeper and TV presenter Bob Wilson and his wife Megs after the death of their daughter Anna from cancer at the age of 31. Since then, the charity has delivered more than 23,500 special days to young adults across the UK – the kind of stats no one’s arguing with.

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Now in its 12th year, the London Football Awards has grown into a fixture of the capital’s sporting calendar, celebrating players, clubs and initiatives that make London’s football ecosystem tick from the Premier League down to the community cage.

The 2026 edition will take place on Thursday, 5 March at Exhibition White City, where the great and the good of the game will swap training tops for tuxes and gowns, all in the name of recognising excellence and raising money for a cause that matters.

For full details on the categories, nominees and how to be part of the night, visit the official website: https://londonfootballawards.org/.