The 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards will be held on Monday, April 20, at the Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid, marking the third consecutive year the city hosts the ceremony. This year's edition adopts a “for athletes, by athletes” approach, with leading sportspersons playing a central role in the event.
From an Indian perspective, the primary focus is the nomination of the Indian Women's Cricket Team for the World Team of the Year award. The recognition follows their maiden Women's ODI World Cup triumph in 2025 and marks the first time a women's cricket team has been shortlisted in this category.
In a first for the awards, the ceremony will be co-hosted by two athletes, Novak Djokovic, a five-time Laureus winner, and Olympic freestyle skiing champion Eileen Gu.
Former India all-rounder and Laureus Ambassador Yuvraj Singh is expected to attend in support of the nomination.
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Only a handful of Indian athletes have ever been nominated in the Laureus individual performance categories. Wrestler Vinesh Phogat became the first in 2019, shortlisted for World Comeback of the Year after returning from a serious knee injury. Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra followed with a nomination for World Breakthrough of the Year in 2022, while cricketer Rishabh Pant was nominated in the World Comeback category in 2025 after his return from a life-threatening car accident.
No Indian athlete has won an individual performance award at the Laureus World Sports Awards so far, with India's only major honour coming in a fan-voted category with Sachin Tendulkar's Sporting Moment win in 2020.
Tendulkar's win, titled "Carried on the Shoulders of a Nation," referred to the iconic moment when he was carried by his teammates around the Wankhede Stadium after India's 2011 World Cup victory. It was voted the greatest sporting moment of the previous two decades.
The 2026 nominations feature a cross-section of elite performers across disciplines. In the World Sportsman category, Djokovic is joined by Mondo Duplantis, Carlos Alcaraz, Tadej Pogačar, Marc Márquez and Ousmane Dembélé.
The World Sportswoman shortlist includes Aitana Bonmatí, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Katie Ledecky, Aryna Sabalenka and Faith Kipyegon.
In the World Team category, the Indian Women's Cricket Team are up against McLaren's Formula 1 team, England's women's football side, NBA franchise Oklahoma City Thunder and Paris Saint-Germain.
Other categories include World Breakthrough, featuring Luke Littler, Lando Norris and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and World Comeback, headlined by Rory McIlroy, Yulimar Rojas and Leah Williamson.
Where to watch in India
The ceremony is expected to begin around 11:30 PM IST on Monday, April 20.
The Laureus World Sports Awards 2026 are expected to be broadcast on Times Now in India.
Viewers can also follow live updates and highlights on Laureus' official YouTube channel.
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