Key Highlights:
- The 2026 BBC Sports Personality of the Year will take place in Salford on Sunday, 13 December, broadcast live from 17:45 GMT.
- Audiences will directly determine five of the night’s nine categories through public votes, including two new football accolades.
- Presenters Clare Balding, Gabby Logan, and Alex Scott return to host the ceremony, which highlights a landmark sporting year.
2026 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Details Announced
The 2026 BBC Sports Personality of the Year show will be held on Sunday, 13 December – with five winners decided by public votes. Returning to anchor the flagship annual celebration, Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott will again host the programme, which will be hosted in Salford and broadcast live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app from 17:45 GMT.
The event is set to review a standout calendar of athletic achievements across the globe. The show will celebrate another great year of sport, including Team GB’s most successful Winter Olympics, England’s best finish at a men’s Fifa World Cup since 1966, and record-breaking displays at the European Athletics Championships.
Expanded Public Voting and New Football Categories
Viewers and sports enthusiasts will have an expanded role in choosing the champions of 2026. Five of the nine awards to be presented on the night will be decided by public vote. There will be two new award categories at the ceremony this year – Men’s Footballer of the Year and BBC World Service Women’s Footballer of the Year. The latter has been a BBC World Service award since 2015 but will now be presented as part of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards for the first time. Voting – for global audiences – opens on Tuesday, 10 November.
In addition to crowning the winners of both football awards, fans will also select the winners of the World Sport Star of the Year, Team of the Year and Sports Personality of the Year award itself.
Shortlisting Process and Judging Panels
Nominees for the public-facing categories will be curated through dedicated specialist groups. An independent panel made up of industry experts, sports broadcasters, sports journalists and former sportspeople will determine the shortlists for the Sports Personality of the Year, Team of the Year and World Sports Star awards, with the winners chosen by public votes. The independent panel will also determine the winners of Young Sports Personality of the Year and Coach of the Year.
Meanwhile, nominations for the sport-specific accolades will be directed by focused authorities, as separate panels of football experts will provide the shortlist of contenders for Men’s Footballer of the Year and Women’s Footballer of the Year.
Alex Kay-Jelski – director of BBC Sport – said: “What I love about BBC Sports Personality of the Year is that it brings together all those moments that stopped us in our tracks. The goals, the medals, the upsets, the records, the stories that had us talking at work, in the pub and around the dinner table.”
Kay-Jelski added: “And what a year we’ve had. This year’s shortlists will be packed with athletes and teams who have achieved extraordinary things, but what’s especially exciting is that audiences will have a bigger say than ever before in who takes home the trophies.”
Complete Award Categories for 2026
A total of nine trophies will be presented during the evening in Salford:
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year
- Helen Rollason Award
- Young Sports Personality of the Year
- Coach of the Year
- Team of the Year
- Lifetime Achievement award
- Men’s Footballer of the Year
- Women’s Footballer of the Year
- World Sport Star of the Year
Full voting details, dates and T&Cs will be announced in due course.
Why This Matters
The inclusion of dedicated Men’s and Women’s Footballer of the Year trophies marks a significant modernization of the long-running BBC Sports Personality of the Year format. By incorporating the BBC World Service Women’s Footballer of the Year directly into the live broadcast and introducing global audience voting from 10 November, the ceremony expands its international footprint. Furthermore, handing five of the nine award outcomes over to public ballots broadens audience engagement after a record-breaking sporting cycle that saw historic results in winter sports, international football tournaments, and continental athletics.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where is the 2026 BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony?
The event will take place on Sunday, 13 December, hosted in Salford. It will be broadcast live starting at 17:45 GMT across BBC One, BBC iPlayer, and the BBC Sport website and app.
Which awards will be decided by the public?
The public will vote on five awards: BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Team of the Year, World Sport Star of the Year, Men’s Footballer of the Year, and BBC World Service Women’s Footballer of the Year.
When does voting open for the football categories?
Voting for global audiences for the BBC World Service Women’s Footballer of the Year opens on Tuesday, 10 November, with full voting terms, dates, and conditions for all categories to be published in due course.
