Spain national team manager Luis de la Fuente has emerged as the leading candidate to win the Best Coach award at the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony, according to a report by the newspaper Mundo Deportivo, just days before the results are announced.
The “La Roja” coach is scheduled to attend the gala hosted in London on Monday, October 26, accompanied by Spanish Federation President Rafael Lozan and an institutional delegation, amid hopes that the national team’s collective success will be matched by individual recognition for its tactical leader.
The newspaper explained that de la Fuente appears ahead of Luis Enrique, despite the strength of the Paris Saint-Germain coach’s resume, having led the French side to win the UEFA Champions League for the second consecutive season.
The list of nominees also includes Mikel Arteta, Premier League champion with Arsenal, Unai Emery, who led Aston Villa to win the Europa League and finish fourth in the Premier League, alongside Belgium’s Vincent Kompany, manager of Bayern Munich.
De la Fuente’s advantage, according to the report, is anchored by Spain’s triumph at the 2026 World Cup, following a 1-0 victory over Argentina in the July 19 final, capping off a tournament in which the national team suffered no defeats and conceded only one goal.
The Spanish coach’s success did not stop at the global tournament; his national team tops the FIFA rankings and has reached a streak of 43 consecutive official matches without defeat, according to the paper, reinforcing the image of the stable project he has built in recent years.
De la Fuente took charge of the senior national team in December 2022, subsequently winning the UEFA Nations League in 2023 and Euro 2024, before adding the World Cup to a career that previously saw successes with Spain’s youth national teams.
The Spanish Federation rewarded him last September by extending his contract until 2032, to lead a new cycle that includes defending the European title and preparing for the 2030 World Cup, while his frontrunner status in the coaching award race remains a journalistic prediction awaiting confirmation at the gala.
