Ballon d'Or: Yamal and Diomande compete with Morocco and Algeria stars for the Kopa Trophy
A fierce contest between 10 talents
He is no longer just a promising talent. His name now sits among the biggest global awards. In a new achievement for Moroccan, Algerian and Arab football, Ayoub Bouaddi and Ibrahim Maza top the list of nominees for the "Kopa" award for the world's best young talent for 2026, as part of the Ballon d'Or awards.
"France Football" magazine has announced the extended final list for the "Kopa" 2026 award, part of the Ballon d'Or awards, and it delivers a strong Arab presence with Bouaddi topping the scene. The list pits the world's best talents against one another in an unprecedented battle.
The golden ten list
Ten names made the difference this season in the biggest European leagues, and they were as follows:
Ayoub Bouaddi (Manchester City)
Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona)
Yan Diomande (Real Madrid)
Kenan Yildiz (Juventus)
Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich)
Elye Wahi Junior Kroupi (the rising French talent)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Johan Manzambi (the Swiss talent)
Ibrahim Maza (the outstanding Algerian talent)
Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)
A Moroccan-Algerian-Spanish battle
Three different schools go head to head this year. Bouaddi continues his remarkable brilliance with Manchester City, carrying the hopes of Moroccan and Arab football. Ibrahim Maza is establishing himself as one of the most prominent Algerian talents in Europe, while Lamine Yamal, last year's winner of the award, remains the strongest candidate to retain his title after another exceptional season with Barcelona.
Paris Saint-Germain star Warren Zaïre-Emery and Elye Wahi Junior Kroupi add great weight to the list, in one of the strongest editions of the Kopa award in recent years. It brings together talents from 7 different nationalities and 7 clubs from the giants of the old continent.
Two Arab names in the top ten, Bouaddi and Maza, mark a historic achievement that confirms the explosion of Arab talents in the sky of world football.
