Inter Miami’s Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi prepares to take a corner kick during a Major League Soccer (MLS) regular season football match between Inter Miami CF and Charlotte CF at Nu Stadium in Miami, Florida, on November 7, 2026. (Photo by Giorgio VIERA / AFP)
Lionel Messi has been named among the finalists for the 2026 Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player award, giving the Inter Miami captain an opportunity to make history by winning the honour for a third consecutive season.
MLS announced the finalists for its 2026 Year-End Awards on its website on Thursday.
Messi, who won the MVP in 2024 and 2025, was shortlisted for the 2026 edition alongside Evander of FC Cincinnati, Guilherme of Houston Dynamo, Hany Mukhtar of Nashville SC and Cavan Sullivan of Philadelphia Union.
The Argentine forward earned the nomination after another impressive regular season, scoring 26 goals in 31 appearances to win the 2026 MLS Golden Boot.
He also became the first player in MLS history to win the Golden Boot in consecutive seasons, having finished the regular season with a team-leading 17 assists.
The league celebrated his achievement in a post on X on Tuesday, writing, “Another season, another Golden Boot pres. by Audi for Messi.”
Messi also earned the MLS Goal of the Matchday award seven times during the regular season.
He was also named in the MLS Team of the Matchday 13 times.
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The 2026 MLS Year-End Awards finalists represent 15 clubs, with winners scheduled to be announced throughout the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs.
The finalists were selected based on votes from MLS club technical staff, first-team players and selected media members, with each group accounting for 33.3 per cent of the overall results.
The winners of the MLS Humanitarian of the Year award were determined through votes from four groups: club technical staff, first-team players, selected media members and community relations staff, each accounting for 25 per cent of the total.
FULL LIST: MLS 2026 Year-End Awards finalists
Landon Donovan MLS MVP
- Evander (FC Cincinnati)
- Guilherme (Houston Dynamo FC)
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF)
- 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 FC)
- 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 CF)
- 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 Monday, November 9, and will close on Tuesday, November 17.
The MLS Referee and Assistant Referee of the Year awards will be announced on Friday, while the MLS Best XI will be unveiled at a later date.
Source: Punch · Saheed Oyelakin
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