Connect with us

Championship

EFL Awards 2026: The Winners List revealed

We take a look at the much anticipated EFL Awards 2026 winners list, which was revealed throughout Sunday evening.

With the regular season of the 2025/26 season coming to an end in a few weeks, it’s that time to which players, staff, volunteers, fans and clubs has picked up an award.

Earlier this month, the English Football League announced the official shortlist for their awards, and now the winners are announced live at the League’s annual ceremony in London on the 19th of April, also being televised on Sky Sports Football from 8:30pm.

2026 EFL Awards shortlists and winners in full

EFL Championship Manager of the Season

WINNER – Frank Lampard – Coventry City
Alex Neil – Millwall
Sergej Jakirovic – Hull City
Kim Hellberg – Middlesbrough

Lampard said: “I was emotional the other night because it dawned on me in that moment what we had achieved.

“A Club that I walked into 16 months ago that had gone to the depths and back up, and football is always about people and always about supporters and I’d missed it.

“You have to credit Mark Robins for what he did at the Club, the owner Doug King and appreciate the moment, and I’m working with a great group of players.

“When you walk into a group forget the football talent, that’s obviously important, but when they look after themselves, they train well, they support each other, they have a laugh, that’s the gold.

“It’s an incredible story and I’m please to be a part of it.”

EFL League One Manager of the Season

Graham Alexander – Bradford City
WINNER – Michael Skubala – Lincoln City
Brian Barry-Murphy – Cardiff City
Alex Revell – Stevenage

Skubala said: “The city is buzzing, everybody is just over the moon with what the lads have done.

“It’s been a sensational group of players to work with everyday. They work so hard, but we are still trying to push because we know we have Cardiff on our tail”

EFL League Two Manager of the Season

WINNER – Andy Woodman – Bromley
Paul Warne – Milton Keynes Dons
Micky Mellon – Oldham Athletic
Neil Harris – Cambridge United

Woodman said: “I’m standing up here with this award but I think my team, staff and players should take a lot of credit.

“We set ourselves a goal and I think there were one or two raised eyebrows when we said we’d get promoted, but we have smashed it out the ball park.”

EFL Championship Player of the Season

WINNER – Hayden Hackney – Middlesbrough
Carl Rushworth – Coventry City
Femi Azeez – Millwall
Zan Vipotnik – Swansea City

Hackney said: “It’s been chaos this season if I’m being honest, but we had a good result today, unlucky not getting three points, and hopefully we can get back up there.

“I grew up watching this Club, going to the games just a normal fan, and then being able to put on that shirt and play at The Riverside is unbelievable.

“There’s a little bit more responsibility because of that but I enjoy it.

“I’ve got to thank Kim coming in so much, along with all the coaching staff. I think he’s given me that almost freedom just to go and express myself, and do what I do best. Almost giving me the freedom to be more attacking”

EFL League One Player of the Season

WINNER – Dom Ballard – Leyton Orient
Owen Bailey – Doncaster Rovers
Jack Moylan – Lincoln City
Sonny Bradley – Lincoln City

Ballard said: “It’s a massive achievement. Winning Young Player of the Year was enough, but to win this is massive.

“I came off a tough year last year and then the season before I got injured.

“The gaffer took me in his stride, the players as well, so I think it’s just a collective unit that helped me build my confidence and allow me to do what I do best.”

EFL League Two Player of the Season

WINNER – Aaron Drinan – Swindon Town
Mitch Pinnock – Bromley
Callum Paterson – Milton Keynes Dons
Omar Sowumni – Bromley

Drinan said: “My goals are down to the team putting chances on a plate for me, and I’ve been lucky enough to take them.

“It’s been up and down for us to be honest, but we are hanging on in there and we’ll keep going until the end.

“Words can’t describe playing under Ian Holloway, every day is a different story.”

EFL Championship Young Player of the Season

WINNER – Jordan James – Leicester City
Ashley Phillips – Stoke City
Sydie Peck – Sheffield United
Bobby Clark – Derby County

EFL League One Young Player of the Season

WINNER – Dom Ballard – Leyton Orient
Amario Cozier-Duberry – Bolton Wanderers
Dylan Lawlor – Cardiff City
Jenson Metcalfe – Bradford City

EFL League Two Young Player of the Season

Matty Young – Salford City
WINNER – Daniel Kanu – Walsall
Sam Gale – Gillingham
Tom Iorpenda – Notts County

EFL Championship Apprentice of the Season

WINNER – Louis Page – Leicester City
Leo Pecover – Bristol City
Sheldon Kendall – Millwall

The EFL said as per their live blog: Page joined the Foxes academy at under-9 level and has so far registered 16 appearances in the second-tier. 

EFL League One Apprentice of the Season

WINNER – Sulyman Krubally – Burton Albion
Ryan Doherty – Stevenage
Tegan Finn – Plymouth Argyle

The EFL said as per their live blog:  The 17-year-old joined the academy as an under-14 and has made 15 appearances in League One this season. He made his debut aged 16 and became the Club’s youngest ever player in the process. 

EFL League Two Apprentice of the Season

WINNER – Ollie Dewsbury – Bristol Rovers
Mamadou Diallo – Cheltenham Town
Rian Silver – MK Dons

The EFL said as per their live blog: He joined the academy at Under-9’s and signed his first contract in February 2025 after making his first team debut aged 15 in an FA Cup match in 2023/24.

EFL Community Club of the Season

Blackburn Rovers
WINNER – Plymouth Argyle
Bristol Rovers

The EFL said as per their live blog: Operating across some of the city’s most deprived neighbourhoods, the Club’s charitable arm, Plymouth Argyle Community Trust, delivers high-impact programmes addressing food poverty, education and employability, isolation, disability and autism.

EFL Community Project of the Season

WINNER – Blackburn Rovers – Dads FC
Plymouth Argyle – Argyle4Autism
Notts County – Baby Remembrance Wall

EFL Player in the Community

WINNER – Will Vaulks – Oxford United
Hamish Douglas – Rotherham United
Taylor Moore – Bristol Rovers

EFL Diversity Award

WINNER – Bristol City – We Are City
Huddersfield Town – Menopause & Menstruation Friendly Pioneers
Southampton – Deaf Inclusion

The EFL said as per their live blog:  ‘We are City’ is exactly what it says on the tin: together, anyone in Bristol can get involved in football, the Club and their benefits.

We are all Bristol City, no matter our background or circumstances. The project celebrates the strength in diversity and works to enable inclusivity across opportunities, often bringing people together who may not otherwise interact.

EFL Environmental Award

Birmingham City – Blues Go Green
WINNER – Bradford City – Greener Bantams
Harrogate Town – HarryGator Walk to School

The EFL said as per their live blog from the awards night: Greener Bantams is the sustainability arm of Bradford City and their Community Foundation. It ensures they play their part in creating a greener, cleaner planet for future generations.

EFL Fan Engagement Award

Bristol Rovers
Cardiff City – Bluebirds Uncaged
WINNER – Huddersfield Town – Terriers Together Travel

The EFL said as per their live blog: The award was introduced two years ago and aims to provide recognition to a Club who can demonstrate how it specifically involves and liaises with supporters. 

The Terriers Together Travel campaign is Huddersfield Town’s targeted initiative to remove transport barriers and improve matchday accessibility for supporters in South Kirklees. 

EFL Club Employee Award

Rae Walker – Grimsby Town
WINNER – Wendy Thomas – Middlesbrough
Alan Long – Lincoln City

The EFL said as per their live blog: Wendy has dedicated 29 years of exceptional service to Middlesbrough, playing a pivotal role in shaping its Academy into the Category 1 model it is today.

Appointed Academy Secretary in 1996/97, Wendy was instrumental in guiding the Club through its original Academy licence application, laying the foundations for decades of youth development success.

Contribution to League Football Award

WINNER – Brenda Spencer, the first female Chief Executive in the Football League, and the Chair of Trustees for Wigan Athletic Community Trust.

Sir Tom Finney Award

WINNER – Dean Lewington

EFL Championship Team of the Season

Carl Rushworth (Coventry), Milan Van Ewijk (Coventry), Tristan Crama (Millwall), Callum Doyle (Wrexham), Josh Tymon (Swansea), Femi Azeez (Millwall), Hayden Hackney (Middlesbrough), Matt Grimes (Coventry), Sorba Thomas (Stoke), Haji Wright (Coventry), Zan Vipotnik (Swansea)

EFL League One Team of the Season

George Wickens (Lincoln), Tendayi Darikwa (Lincoln), Charlie Goode (Stevenage), Sonny Bradley (Lincoln), Joel Bagan (Cardiff), Amario Cozier-Duberry (Bolton), Ollie Norwood (Stockport), Owen Bailey (Doncaster), Jack Moylan (Lincoln), Kyle Wootton (Stockport), Dom Ballard (Leyton Orient)

EFL League Two Team of the Season

Mathew Hudson (Oldham) Jack Sanders (MK Dons), Omar Sowunmi (Bromley), Kelland Watts (Cambridge), Harvey Rodgers (Grimsby), Isaac Hutchinson (Cheltenham), Liam Kelly (MK Dons), Sammy Braybrooke (Chesterfield), Mitch Pinnock (Bromley), Aaron Drinan (Swindon), Callum Paterson (MK Dons)

EFL Goal of the Season

The 2025/26 EFL Goal of the Season goes to Swansea City’s Josh Tymon, vs Oxford United. Check out a video of all the contenders and the winning goal below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @efl

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @efl

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @efl

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @efl

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @efl

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @efl

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @efl

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @efl

Related Topics
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

More in Championship