Kata Kol wins Yashin award for best goalkeeper of 2026

Spanish goalkeeper Kata Kol, from FC Barcelona, has been awarded the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper in women's football for 2026 during the Ballon d'Or ceremony, following an outstanding season both individually and collectively with the Catalan team.

Kool, 25, has been awarded after playing a key role in FC Barcelona's successes this season, which saw the team win four titles: the UEFA Champions League, the Spanish league, the Copa de la Reina, and the Supercopa de España, earning the goalkeeper her first major accolade.

With this achievement, Kata Kol has become the second goalkeeper to win the Yashin Award for Women, which was introduced last year, after the first edition went to Englishwoman Hannah Hampton, the Chelsea goalkeeper, while Kol finished third in the ranking at that time.

Barcelona's goalkeeper has triumphed in the voting for the 2026 edition over Hannah Hampton, German goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, Gotham's goalkeeper, Japanese Ayaka Yamashita, Manchester City's goalkeeper, and Brazilian Lorena Leite, Kansas City's goalkeeper.