Lionel Messi has been named a finalist for the 2026 Major League Soccer (MLS) Most Valuable Player award, potentially allowing the Inter Miami captain to win the honour for a third consecutive season. MLS revealed the finalists on its website on Thursday.
Messi, who clinched the MVP title in 2024 and 2025, faces competition from Evander (FC Cincinnati), Guilherme (Houston Dynamo), Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC), and Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union). He secured the nomination after scoring 26 goals in 31 appearances, earning him the 2026 MLS Golden Boot. This achievement also makes him the first player in MLS history to win the Golden Boot in consecutive seasons, leading the league with 17 assists.
The league acknowledged his success in a post on X stating, “Another season, another Golden Boot pres. by Audi for Messi.” Additionally, Messi received the MLS Goal of the Matchday award seven times and was named in the MLS Team of the Matchday on 13 occasions.
The finalists for the 2026 MLS Year-End Awards represent 15 clubs, with winners to be announced during the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs. The selections were made based on votes from MLS club technical staff, first-team players, and selected media members, each group contributing a third of the total vote.
Listed below are the finalists for several key awards:
Landon Donovan MLS MVP
- Evander (FC Cincinnati)
- Guilherme (Houston Dynamo)
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
- Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC)
- Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union)
Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year
- B.J. Callaghan (Nashville SC)
- Yoann Damet (St. Louis CITY SC)
- Jesper Sørensen (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
MLS Newcomer of the Year
- Antoine Griezmann (Orlando City)
- Guilherme (Houston Dynamo)
- André Luiz (Sporting Kansas City)
MLS Young Player of the Year
- Julian Hall (Red Bull New York)
- Adri Mehmeti (Red Bull New York)
- Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union)
MLS Defender of the Year
- Andy Najar (Nashville SC)
- Jeisson Palacios (Nashville SC)
- Maxwell Woledzi (Nashville SC)
MLS Goalkeeper of the Year
- Roman Bürki (St. Louis CITY SC)
- Brian Schwake (Nashville SC)
- Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
MLS Comeback Player of the Year
- Ryan Gauld (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
- Nick Hagglund (FC Cincinnati)
- Eduard Löwen (San Jose Earthquakes)
MLS Humanitarian of the Year Award
- Paul Arriola (Seattle Sounders FC)
- Andrew Farrell (New England Revolution)
- Telasco Segovia (Inter Miami)
- Mason Stajduhar (Real Salt Lake)
- Brad Stuver (Austin FC)
Voting for the MLS Goal of the Year and Save of the Year awards opened on November 9 and will close on November 17. The MLS Referee and Assistant Referee of the Year awards will be announced on Friday, with the MLS Best XI revealed later.
