You’ve probably seen the photos. A gleaming red carpet, Hollywood A-listers rubbing shoulders with Olympic legends, and those heavy gold-and-silver statuettes that look like they belong on a museum pedestal. Most people look at the Laureus World Sports Awards and think, "Oh, it's just the Oscars for athletes."
Honestly? That’s barely scratching the surface.
While the glitz is real, the machinery behind these awards is what makes them different. It isn’t a popularity contest or a fan-voted sweepstakes—not for the big categories, anyway. When you win a Laureus, you aren’t just trending; you're being validated by the very legends whose posters you probably had on your bedroom wall as a kid.
Why the Laureus World Sports Awards Actually Matter
Most trophies are about a single season or a specific league. But Laureus? It's global. It’s the only time a Swedish pole vaulter, a Brazilian gymnast, and a Spanish football club are all judged on the same metric of "greatness."
Take the 2025 ceremony in Madrid.
Armand "Mondo" Duplantis walked away with the World Sportsman of the Year. Now, if you don't follow athletics, you might wonder why a guy jumping over a bar beats out a Formula 1 champion or a tennis icon. But Duplantis didn't just win; he broke his own world record for the eleventh time. He’s basically competing against physics at this point.
The voting process is what gives these awards their teeth. It’s a two-stage gauntlet. First, over 1,000 sports journalists from roughly 70 countries narrow down the nominees. Then—and this is the cool part—the final winners are picked by the Laureus World Sports Academy. We’re talking about a secret ballot cast by a group of around 70 living legends. Think names like Nadia Comăneci, Michael Johnson, and Boris Becker.
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When Simone Biles won her fourth World Sportswoman of the Year award in 2025, she wasn't just being honored for her 11 Olympic medals. She was being told by the greats of the past that she is, unequivocally, the best of the present.
The 2025 Winners: A Quick Reality Check
If you missed the latest results, the 2025 roster was a massive celebration of the Paris 2024 Olympic cycle. It felt like a "who’s who" of the people who dominated our screens last summer.
- World Sportsman of the Year: Armand Duplantis (Athletics)
- World Sportswoman of the Year: Simone Biles (Gymnastics)
- World Team of the Year: Real Madrid (Football)
- World Breakthrough of the Year: Lamine Yamal (Football)
- World Comeback of the Year: Rebeca Andrade (Gymnastics)
- Action Sportsperson of the Year: Tom Pidcock (Cycling)
Lamine Yamal winning Breakthrough of the Year was a bit of a "no-brainer" for anyone who watched Euro 2024. The kid was 17. Most 17-year-olds are worrying about driving tests, and he was terrorizing world-class defenders.
The "Sport for Good" DNA
The thing that most people ignore—and they shouldn't—is why this whole thing started in the first place. In 2000, Nelson Mandela stood at the very first ceremony and said, "Sport has the power to change the world."
It sounds like a cliché now, but Laureus actually puts money behind it.
The awards are basically the "front porch" for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. They fund over 160 programs globally. In 2025, the Sport for Good Award went to Kick4Life, a project in Lesotho that uses football to tackle health issues and gender-based violence.
It’s easy to get distracted by the Cartier-designed statuettes (which weigh about 2.5kg and are finished in gold, by the way), but the foundation is the engine. The gala pays the bills so the foundation can do the work. It’s a smart, if flashy, business model for social change.
Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and the GOAT Race
If you want to talk about the "all-time" greats of this ceremony, you have to talk about tennis. For some reason, tennis players absolutely dominate the Laureus history books.
Until recently, Roger Federer was the undisputed king with six total awards. But Novak Djokovic caught up. In 2024, Djokovic bagged his fifth Sportsman of the Year title, tying Federer's record in that specific category.
It’s interesting to see how the Academy votes. They clearly value longevity and "transcendence." It’s not enough to be the best at your sport; you have to feel like you are the sport. That’s why Tiger Woods and Usain Bolt are also high on the list. They didn't just win; they changed the gravity of their respective fields.
The Sporting Icon and Lifetime Achievement Factor
Sometimes, the regular categories aren't enough to capture a career. In 2025, Rafael Nadal received the Sporting Icon Award. It was a standing ovation moment. It wasn't about his stats in 2024; it was about the fact that the guy is a warrior who redefined grit.
Kelly Slater, the surfing legend, also got the Lifetime Achievement Award the same year. Slater has won Action Sportsperson of the Year four times in the past. Giving him Lifetime Achievement felt like the Academy finally saying, "Okay, we've run out of regular trophies for you."
Surprising Details You Probably Didn't Know
People think the awards are always in Monaco. They aren't. While they started there, they’ve traveled to Rio, Shanghai, Berlin, Paris, and Madrid. Each city brings a different vibe. Madrid, specifically, has leaned into its status as a "sporting capital," hosting back-to-back years in 2024 and 2025.
Another weird fact: Lionel Messi is the only athlete from a team sport to ever win the individual World Sportsman of the Year award. He did it twice (2020 and 2023). Usually, the Academy favors individual athletes—runners, swimmers, tennis players—because it's easier to quantify their singular dominance. Messi is the exception that proves the rule.
How to Follow the 2026 Cycle
We’re currently heading into the 2026 award cycle. Since the awards usually look back at the previous calendar year, the 2026 ceremony will focus on the massive achievements of 2025.
What should you look for?
- The Formula 1 Factor: If Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton has a record-shattering season, they'll be in the mix.
- The Football Carryover: Keep an eye on the Champions League and major domestic shifts.
- The "New" Sports: Laureus has been getting much better at recognizing action sports. Arisa Trew (skateboarding) and Chloe Kim (snowboarding) are names that keep popping up.
Practical Steps for Sports Fans
If you actually want to get the most out of the Laureus season, don't just wait for the red carpet photos.
Check the nominees list usually released around February. It’s a fantastic "cheat sheet" for who the most influential athletes in the world are right now. If there’s a name on there you don't recognize—like a marathoner from Kenya or a para-swimmer from China—look them up. Their stories are usually more insane than the ones we see on mainstream TV.
You can also follow the Sport for Good projects. Many of them take donations or have local chapters. If you’re tired of the "commercial" side of sports, seeing how a football pitch in a refugee camp changes lives is a great palate cleanser.
The Laureus World Sports Awards are more than just a fancy dinner. They are a snapshot of human potential. Whether it's Biles defying gravity or a kid from Spain becoming a global icon before he can legally buy a beer, it's about the moments that make us sit up and say, "How did they do that?"
Keep an eye on the official Laureus social channels in early 2026 for the next round of nominations. That's when the real debate starts.
Actionable Insight: To better understand the prestige of these awards, watch the replay of Nelson Mandela's 2000 keynote speech. It sets the tone for everything the organization does today. Then, keep a running list of "Laureus-worthy" moments you see in sports this year—it makes watching the 2026 ceremony a lot more engaging.