NEW YORK — Major League Soccer has announced the finalists for its 2026 Year-End Awards, placing some of the league’s most influential performers in contention for individual honours after a regular season marked by standout scoring campaigns, high-profile arrivals and a historic team achievement by Nashville SC.

Lionel Messi of Inter Miami CF is among five candidates for the Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player award. He is joined by FC Cincinnati’s Evander, Houston Dynamo FC forward Guilherme, Nashville SC captain Hany Mukhtar and Philadelphia Union teenager Cavan Sullivan.

Nashville SC lead the league with six finalists across the awards, reflecting the club’s record-setting regular season and first Supporters’ Shield triumph. The winners will be announced during the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs.

Messi Faces Four Challengers For MLS MVP

Messi’s MVP nomination follows a remarkable regular season in which he scored 26 goals and supplied 17 assists in 31 appearances, securing the 2026 MLS Golden Boot. He has an opportunity to become the first player to win the league’s MVP award in three consecutive seasons, having claimed the honour in 2024 and 2025.

His candidacy is supported by the scale of his attacking contribution, but the shortlist also recognises players whose influence has shaped their clubs’ campaigns in different ways. Mukhtar remains central to Nashville’s rise, while Evander and Guilherme earned recognition for their performances in Cincinnati and Houston. Sullivan’s inclusion is particularly notable because the teenager is competing with established senior players while also being shortlisted for Young Player of the Year.

For a closer look at Messi’s statistical achievement, read HeadlinesXtra’s report on his consecutive MLS Golden Boot triumphs.

Nashville SC Dominate The Shortlists

Nashville’s six finalists are spread across several key categories. Mukhtar is in the MVP race, head coach B.J. Callaghan is shortlisted for the Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year award, and goalkeeper Brian Schwake is a finalist for Goalkeeper of the Year.

The club also occupies every place on the Defender of the Year shortlist through Andy Nájar, Jeisson Palacios and Maxwell Woledzi. That sweep is a striking recognition of Nashville’s defensive season: the team conceded just 25 goals in the regular season, the lowest total in league history, according to reporting by SixOneFive Soccer.

Nashville’s representation is therefore more than a collection of individual nominations. It reflects a team whose results were built across the pitch, from coaching and goalkeeping to defensive organisation and attacking leadership.

Griezmann Among Newcomer Of The Year Finalists

Antoine Griezmann is one of three finalists for MLS Newcomer of the Year, alongside Guilherme and André Luiz of Sporting Kansas City. The award recognises a player with previous professional experience who made his MLS debut during the 2026 season.

Griezmann’s nomination follows an influential arrival at Orlando City and a strong second half of the campaign. He has also attracted attention for his monthly award performances. HeadlinesXtra previously examined his 2026 Player of the Month recognition and the comparison with Messi in this report on Griezmann’s MLS award season.

All 2026 MLS Year-End Awards Finalists

Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player

  • 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 SC
  • 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 Nájar — 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

  • Paul Arriola — Seattle Sounders FC
  • Andrew Farrell — New England Revolution
  • Telasco Segovia — Inter Miami CF
  • Mason Stajduhar — Real Salt Lake
  • Brad Stuver — Austin FC

MLS Referee of the Year

  • Jon Freemon
  • Rosendo Mendoza
  • Rubiel Vazquez

MLS Assistant Referee of the Year

  • Ryan Graves
  • Jeremy Kieso
  • Felisha Mariscal

How The Awards Are Decided

For the main individual awards, the final results are determined by votes from MLS club technical staff, active first-team players and selected media members, with each group carrying one-third of the total. Club technical staff and players cannot vote for candidates from their own teams. The Humanitarian of the Year award uses a different process, with players, club technical staff and head coaches, media members and community relations staff each accounting for 25 per cent.

The Goal of the Year and Save of the Year are decided by online fan voting. The MLS Best XI will be revealed separately at a later date, while the Referee and Assistant Referee of the Year recipients are scheduled to be announced on Friday, November 13.

A Snapshot Of MLS’s Changing Competitive Landscape

The finalists list captures several strands of the league’s current development. Messi remains a global standard-bearer, Griezmann’s nomination illustrates the impact of high-profile international arrivals, and Sullivan’s double presence in the MVP and young-player races points to the growing visibility of emerging talent.

Nashville’s six nominations, meanwhile, underline the value of a balanced team structure. Their dominance across the defensive shortlist is especially significant because it recognises collective consistency rather than relying on one star performer. The final awards will show which individual campaigns voters consider most influential, but the shortlist itself already offers a useful portrait of the 2026 season.

Sources And Further Reading

Photo: Lionel Messi in action for Inter Miami CF. Archival image from HeadlinesXtra’s previously published coverage; not a photograph of the awards announcement.