Table of Content
The 2026 BBC Sports Personality of the Year show will take place on Sunday, 13 December, featuring five winners decided by public votes.
Broadcast Details and New Categories
Clare Balding, Gabby Logan, and Alex Scott will return to host the programme, which originates from Salford and will be broadcast live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, and the BBC Sport website and app starting at 17:45 GMT. Five of the nine awards presented during the evening will be determined by the public.
The event highlights a major year in sport, encompassing Team GB’s most successful Winter Olympics, England’s strongest finish at a men’s FIFA World Cup since 1966, and record-breaking performances at the European Athletics Championships.
Two new award categories debut at the ceremony this year: Men’s Footballer of the Year and BBC World Service Women’s Footballer of the Year. The latter has operated as a BBC World Service award since 2015 and joins the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony for the first time, with global voting opening on Tuesday, 10 November.
Voting and Selection Process
Alongside the two football awards, fans will vote to decide the winners of the World Sport Star of the Year, Team of the Year, and the flagship Sports Personality of the Year award.
An independent panel consisting of industry experts, sports broadcasters, sports journalists, and former athletes will establish the shortlists for Sports Personality of the Year, Team of the Year, and World Sports Star, while the public selects the ultimate winners. This independent panel will also choose the recipients of the Young Sports Personality of the Year and Coach of the Year awards.
Dedicated panels of football specialists will compile the shortlists of contenders for both the Men’s Footballer of the Year and Women’s Footballer of the Year.
Reflecting on the upcoming event, BBC Sport director Alex Kay-Jelski said, “What I love about BBC Sports Personality of the Year is that it brings together all those moments that stopped us in our tracks. The goals, the medals, the upsets, the records, the stories that had us talking at work, in the pub and around the dinner table.”
Kay-Jelski added, “And what a year we’ve had. This year’s shortlists will be packed with athletes and teams who have achieved extraordinary things, but what’s especially exciting is that audiences will have a bigger say than ever before in who takes home the trophies.”
Award Categories and Future Announcements
The full lineup of nine award categories includes:
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year
- Helen Rollason Award
- Young Sports Personality of the Year
- Coach of the Year
- Team of the Year
- Lifetime Achievement award
- Men’s Footballer of the Year
- Women’s Footballer of the Year
- World Sport Star of the Year
Comprehensive voting instructions, key dates, and terms and conditions will be published at a later date.
