EFL Awards 2026 LIVE!
► Subscribe to Sky Sports Football: http://bit.ly/SSFootballSub ► Watch Sky Sports: https://bit.ly/BuySkySports Watch the EFL Awards 2026 live. football efl championship leagueone leaguetwo ► EFL highlights: https://bit.ly/EFLHighlights2425 ► EFL Cup highlights: https://bit.ly/EFLCupHighlights2425 ► WSL highlights: https://bit.ly/WSLHighlights ► SPFL highlights: https://bit.ly/SPFLHighlights ► Bundesliga highlights: https://bit.ly/BundesligaHighlights ► Buy this season’s shirts: https://bit.ly/SkySportsShop More from Sky Sports on YouTube: ► Sky Sports: http://bit.ly/SkySportsSub ► Sky Sports Boxing: http://bit.ly/SSBoxingSub ► Sky Sports Cricket: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyCricket ► Sky Sports Darts: https://bit.ly/SubSkySportsDarts ► Sky Sports F1: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyF1 ► Sky Sports Golf: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsGolf ► Sky Sports News: http://bit.ly/SkySportsNewsSub ► Sky Sports Premier League: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsPL ► Sky Sports Retro: http://bit.ly/SkySportsRetroSub ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkySportsFootball ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skysportsfootball ► TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skysportsfootball / https://www.tiktok.com/@skysportswsl ► X: https://x.com/SkyFootball / https://x.com/SkySportsWSL ► Website: https://www.skysports.com ► To enquire about licensing Sky Sports content, you can find out more here: https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/news/31754/11434270/license-sky-sports-footage
字幕
Time for cities and towns to start dreaming again. Walking in the footsteps of giants. OH, INCREDIBLE. I DO NOT BELIEVE MY EYES. THIS is extraordinary. Greatest awaits. >> [music] >> EFL fans, welcome back. Welcome back to this crazy, crazy league. It shows no mercy. It respects no one. Only [music] the strongest escape. They're turning on the style now. So unpredictable, >> [music] >> so dramatic, so exciting. This is going to go down to the wire. Can he get a strike away? He can. >> [cheering] [screaming] >> Swindon into the lead. >> [music] >> Even for the championship, this is extraordinary. Big players, big moments, big nights. That's where the ball's going, >> [music] >> and you know the rest. Coventry City's fairytale is over. They are coming home. AND SCORES IT. OH, brilliantly done. Introducing the best two teams in the land. [music] Already. The first prize of the season is City's prize. >> [cheering] [music] >> And it's in. Lincoln City have done it. At last, at long, long last. >> [music] >> And Westly belongs to Wells and Luton Town. A very warm welcome to the EFL Awards [music] 2026 from London's Grosvenor House. The great and the good of the English Football League are gathering in the capital for an extra special [music] evening amid another headline-making campaign. Tonight provides an opportunity to honor those who have given so [music] much on and off the pitch to make the EFL so special, and to celebrate with those who've already stepped up to the next level [music] by securing promotion. A wide selection of awards are up for grabs for the individuals and the collectives. So, without further ado, here are your hosts, David Prutton and Emma Saunders. >> [music] [applause] [music] >> Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the 2026 the EFL Awards coming to you live from London's Grosvenor House. A warm welcome to our guests in the room and to all of you tuning in from home. Tonight, we'll celebrate another unforgettable season, promotion, relegation, relentless competition across the divisions, and moments that will live long in the memory. Yes, this season has given us plenty to shout about. Bromley's remarkable unbeaten home run has powered them into League One for the first time in their history. >> [applause] >> Lincoln City has secured an historic return to the championship. >> [applause] >> And Friday night saw Coventry City celebrate promotion back to the Premier League after 25 years. And the party continued yesterday as Cardiff City confirmed their place back in the championship. >> [applause] >> And away from the football clubs have once again continued to unite communities and change lives for the better across England and Wales. And tonight, we celebrate the very best of it all. And for the next 90 minutes, the spotlight is firmly on our stars and the moments that have defined this season. So, let's get the show on the road and kick off with some stunning strikes in the 2026 EFL Goal of the Season sponsored by Hawk-Eye Innovations. And to present the award, please welcome Hawk-Eye's Tom Bennett and Sky Sports Football presenter, Mr. Jules Warren. >> [music] >> Good evening. Here are the nominees for the goal of the season. Oxford caught cold. Pulled back a long way here. Struck from distance. Oh, sensational. >> [cheering] >> Jayson Molumby [music] will deliver this free kick. It's headed clear. Comes out to Tymeron. OH, WHAT A STRIKE THAT IS. AN ABSOLUTE WONDER GOAL. [cheering] >> [screaming] >> And eventually, it's been given away to Fatiao. Oh, he goes for goal from the halfway line. Walton could be struggling. OH, THAT'S BRILLIANT. >> [cheering] >> Abdoul Fatiao ends his long wait for a goal in spectacular fashion. Djed Spence is on loan at Derby. I've seen him just bring the ball forward at any opportunity when he can, and he's continuing a fine run here. Still on going here. No one COULD SIMPLY STOP HIM. THAT IS MAGNIFICENT FROM DJED SPENCE AGAIN. >> [cheering] >> A GOAL YOU DON'T SEE VERY OFTEN THESE DAYS. Barnsley struggling to get out of their own half at the moment. They've won the ball back here, and it's a chance for a counter-attack. He's gone directly for goal, and it might cause all sorts of problems, AND IT HAS. OH, HOW ABOUT THAT? >> [cheering] >> One of the finest goals you will see in the EFL all season. >> [applause] >> Absolute crackers all of them, but there can only be one winner. >> [applause and cheering] >> And the goal of the season sponsored by Hawk-Eye Innovations is Swansea City's Josh Tymeron. >> [applause] [music] >> Uh, Josh, absolutely fantastic. Are you going to tell us it is something that you do all the time in training? No, I'd be lying if I said I'd done that before, definitely. Um Is there much thought that goes into it? Cuz it seemed like such a reactionary piece of innovation that it just happens, doesn't it? Let's just talk us through it once again. I mean, it is a goal that is worth repeating and repeating. Yeah, I think it's one of them that you could probably try and picture that scenario in your head a hundred times, and to try and obviously do it on the pitch is is another thing, but I think in that moment of time, particularly with with where we was in the league at that time, it was we needed goals desperately, and and luckily one like that went in. You leading the way, I suppose, being able to do that and showing the rest of the lads that you can do that, does then expectation creep in that Josh Tymeron is going to be doing that time and time again? No, cuz I tried one probably about a month after against Stoke, and it landed two yards in front of me, so. So, lesson learned from that. A little touch on the season, a great goal for you in that particular instance, and Swansea finishing strongly given what we've seen from them over the course of this season. How have you found it? How's it gone? Yeah, good. Um it's definitely improved since since um you know, the the manager change, and yeah, he's um he's a great guy. He's, you know, got good stuff around him, and he's he's brought the best out of of us as a group, and yeah, we've had a slight improvement. Um and yeah, luckily uh we've got ourselves away from from where we should have never been in the first place, but yeah, we can hopefully now finish the last three games strong. And you can enjoy the rest of the night. Congratulations. Josh Tymeron, everybody, the goal of the season. >> [applause] [music] [applause] >> Okay then, onto our next award, Player in the Community sponsored by the PFA. Players continue to have a really important role to play off the pitch as well as on it. And this award recognizes those that go above and beyond in supporting their communities. To present this award, please welcome from the PFA chief executive Maheta Molango and Sky Sports News presenter Bella Shah. >> [music] [applause] >> Okay. These are the nominations for this season's Player in the Community. >> [music] >> 5K Your Way is basically a 5K walk. Get people together, we get them walking, >> [music] >> but more importantly, we get them talking openly and honestly about their mental health. Everyone's got a different story. Everyone's got a different battle. People realize that no matter what team you support, the reason why we're doing this is bigger than football. I lost both my [music] granddads to suicide when I was a teenager, and over the last few years I felt it's been time to kind of talk about passionate about suicide [music] prevention. I've been delivering sessions in schools. The club kind of approached me as well about speaking to the under 21s and the 18s and [music] about them understanding a little bit more about mental health, suicide, and but also about what [music] it takes to be a footballer. Uh my little brother he's around sort of ages where it's like there's not that much to do [music] and obviously with that technology nowadays and whatnot, they're obviously all on their phones and that. So, I think [music] it's very important to like get the kids out and get them in the sunshine, get them playing. >> [music] [applause] [applause] >> The Player in the Community sponsored by the PFA is Oxford United's Will Vaulks. >> [music] >> Uh well, congratulations again, Will. A four-time winner now in this category. It says so much about how much you care for your community in serving your local people. So, tell us a bit about what you've been doing with Oxford United this season and and why it's so important to you. Uh yeah, as you said in the video there, a lot of people know this cuz they'll have seen me a few times, but I lost my both my grandfathers when I was a teenager. The last few years kind of coming towards the the end, not quite the end of playing, but I felt like it's time to kind of open up about it, give back, and I feel like we have a voice as footballers, rightly or wrongly. Little kids will listen to us. So, it's a message of positivity, of hope, but also it's important that I have to say it with everyone in the room, if you really care about your players, you care about your staff, then you need to be getting a workplace pledge into your football club because it's saving people's lives at our club. So, I have to say that, but I'm very appreciative and thank you very much. It's been a challenging season on the pitch for Oxford this campaign, but this community work, the causes that you're working towards, I imagine that goes a long way in perspective does it in navigating that fight on the pitch? Yeah, we're competitive footballers at the end of the day, you know, I want to play and I want to win, but there is more to life than football as well. Sometimes on a Saturday after a defeat against Derby, it doesn't feel like that. But that's where the PFA and everyone else comes in as well because we are more than just footballers, we're human beings and we have families and we have families that go through struggles and we have our own mental health that's important and feel like if people like myself and even higher profile people than me are willing to speak up, then I just hope the next generation of young men feel a bit braver that they can speak up and ask for help cuz my granddads didn't. Very well said. Ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for Will Vaulks. >> [applause] [music] [applause] >> This is consistently amazing work, isn't it, by Will Vaulks? A shining example to us all. Right, now time for one of our most prestigious awards of the evening, the Contribution to League Football award. And to help present this award, please welcome the EFL's chair, Rick Parry. >> [music] >> Rick, we'll get to you in just a second, but first, I mean, it's one of the EFL's top accolades. I mean, could you tell us a little bit about the award, please? Yeah, it's a very special Well, they're all very special awards, but this one is given by uh by the board of the EFL to somebody who's made a truly outstanding contribution to the game over a long period of time. It can be a player, it can be a manager, can be an owner. And if you look at the people who've received the award in recent years, we've had Chris Kamara, um we've had Ben Robinson, we've had Paul Stewart. Um so, it it it's a wide spectrum, but as I said, it's somebody who's really made a an outstanding contribution over a long period, so they can be very, very proud of this award. And now a little bit then about this year's winner, a true pioneer. She was one of the first female chief executives in the Football League and most influential leaders of her generation. During an incredible 40-year association with Wigan Athletic, she helped guide the club to the Premier League. Now chair of trustees for Wigan Athletic Community Trust, her continued service to football and community marks her as one of the most dedicated figures in football. And to reveal our winner, well, let's take a look at the screen. Oh, it's Brenda to Wigan. Oh my gosh, where do you start? Wow. I mean, the lifeblood really. First time I met Brenda, she was there smiling at me, telling me how passionate she was about Wigan Athletic. She wants the best for this club and this town. Everyone just felt welcome, everyone felt loved, everyone felt appreciated. Brenda is the DNA of this football club. It's her life's work. Yeah, trailblazer is the right word for her. Brenda was a a pioneering figure to be one of the first ladies in executive role. Brenda is the best mentor that I could ever wish to have. What Brenda did in that era has made it far easier for women like myself to not come across those challenges. To be able to take the club from where it was to the heights of the Premier League, I think Wigan would definitely have been a different place without Brenda there. Work ethic, [music] her commitment to the community, to the club, she's a true inspiration. She gives her heart and soul into everything [music] she does. I think Brenda's greatest quality is making you feel at ease, making you feel wanted, making you feel appreciated at the club. We came with the three amigos and and Brenda had this [music] challenge of the first three Spanish players that they were arriving in the British game. I treasure the moments and it it seems like yesterday. She created a a [music] family environment. And Wigan was family, Wigan was family. A brilliant tribute to a great person. Thank you for bringing me to the club, making my family feel welcomed. I think she'll be immensely proud and so she should be. She'll definitely have a smile on her face, that's for sure. You know, we love you dearly. You truly are an amazing [music] person. Congratulations, Brenda. Thoroughly deserved, I have to say. She truly, [music] truly deserves it. You can show off your trophy to myself and all the players. [music] And make sure you soak up and enjoy every minute of it. So, please put your hands together for the 2026 Contribution to League Football award winner, Brenda Spencer. >> [music] [applause] [music] [music] [music] >> Uh right, Brenda, before we get a chance to chat, we've got a little surprise for you. So, we've organized one of your favorite players to come here and actually give you the award. It's Wigan legend, Matt Jackson. >> [music] [music] >> Uh well, Brenda, congratulations. What a fabulous career you've had. How do you sum it all up? You must have so many stories, don't you? Um yes, too many to mention, some I couldn't mention. >> [laughter] >> Um but it's been 40 years of um sorry, a bit emotional. 40 years of great times, um highs and lows, which we all get in football. Um but I'd like to thank the EFL for awarding me this. Um it's an honor to accept it and to thank everybody that I've worked with along years. Um you can't be successful in anything that you do unless you have good people around you. And I've certainly had good people. I've had my fair share. Very well said, Brenda. >> [applause] >> Um now, whilst we've got you here, Brenda's obviously a huge fan of you, but how would you sum up her impact, her influence in in your time at Wigan? I mean, she held everything together. It was an unbelievable journey that we went on. And she says there the 40 years is incredible to have seen all that in football, to be a shining light for women working in football, just absolute magnificent. A mentor to Sarah who's there at the moment, and just a brilliant example, but we loved her dearly. Uh and we performed miracles at times, didn't we? Yes, we did. All right. Well, Matt, thank you ever so much for being here tonight. And please, give it up for the tremendous Brenda Spencer. >> [music] [applause] >> Okay, coming up after the break, we'll be bringing you our teams of the season. Please, do not go anywhere. I don't think there's a person in football who'd pick to win via the playoffs. It's a miracle! IT'S PLAYOFF HISTORY! TROUBLE IS, there's three other managers trying to beat you here. It's the worst way to go out, that's for sure. THE PLAYOFFS ARE BRUTAL, BUT THE PLAYOFFS ARE BRILLIANT. THERE'S always something [music] going on. Probably the best thing in football. You can still dream. It keeps you going in the dark. Going to get back to Wembley again here. We've got to. Wembley Stadium was the pinnacle. >> It's a kid's dream and it's to play at Wembley. When you wheel away and you've just scored at Wembley, it's like a boyhood dream. >> Half the stadium just screaming your name. Wembley's for winning. You can get it or you're losing. >> It's not for the faint heart. There's nothing like it. Everything is hinging [music] on this. >> get to the promised land. >> The richest prize in football. It's the most amazing feeling. It was mental, absolutely crazy. The unachievable was achieved. This is the best trip we've ever been on. >> [applause] >> Well, welcome back everyone. And a reminder there that not only are the playoffs right around the corner, but this year we celebrate 40 years of playoff drama, perfectly set up by the trailer you've just seen there for our upcoming documentary. Yes, lots of twists and turns to come. You do not want to miss a single minute of it. Okay, now it's time to reveal our Sky Bet League Two Team of the Season sponsored by Clarion. Let's have a look at the lineup brought to you by Sky Sports, Andy Bishop. Plenty of candidates for this position in the team of the season, but there can only be one, and it goes to Matthew Hudson who leads League Two's race for the Golden Glove. A rock at the back for Paul Warne's side, Jack Sanders has been the leader in one of League Two's meanest defenses as MK Dons have gone from strength to strength aiming for automatic promotion. Tower of strength defensively and a source of goals in attack, it has been quite the season for Omar Showunmi with Bromley leading the way through 2026 in the race for the League Two title. A crucial part of League Two's meanest defense, but a force going forwards as well. Having not scored a league goal since 2021, it's been quite the campaign for Kel Watts. A season in which he has started every game, Harvey Rodgers has impressed once again in both league and that incredible [music] Carabao Cup run that Grimsby fans will never forget. A career-best season for goals for Isaac Hutchinson who has prospered in what has been a testing campaign for his team. A player who seems to be getting better as the season goes on. Another impressive campaign for the man that makes MK Dons [music] tick. So often at their best when Liam Kelly is knitting possession together whilst demonstrating his creative eye with a host of assists. Having begun the campaign on loan at Newport County, it's been his loan at Chesterfield that Sammy Braybrooke has really shone. At just 22, a bright future awaits. Endless creativity, no player has created more chances in English football this season than Mitch Pinnock who has consistently had opposition defenses on the back foot. The man who has fired Swindon's push for promotion leading the way in the race for the Golden Boot, it has been a career-best season in front of goal for the brilliant Aaron Drinan. It's been a remarkable campaign in MK Dons' push for a return to League One for Callum Paterson. A season in which he scored more goals [music] than ever before, including six in a four-game spell early in 2026. So, a huge round of applause, please, for the stars of this season's League Two. Give it up for the League Two Team of the Season. >> [applause] >> Okay, well, onto League One now, and introducing our lineup, it's David Stockdale. George Wickens has been a cornerstone of Lincoln City's stellar campaign, establishing himself as one of the country's most reliable goalkeepers. The solid defensive work and energetic attacking play of teammate Tendayi Darikwa has helped the Imps at both ends of the field in a standout season. Charlie Goode has [music] anchored Stevenage's backline authority to help guide the Boro firmly into the promotion picture this