Lionel Messi, Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek among nominations for top honours at Laureus World Sports Awards 2024

The 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards nominees have been announced and Lionel Messi, Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek and Mikaela Shiffrin are all up for the top honours.

This year’s ceremony will mark the 25th edition of the Laureus Awards, which recognises the “gold standard” for the stars of world sport, celebrating the best athletes across the globe.

Six nominations have been made for each of the eight categories; Sportsman of the Year, Sportswoman of the Year, Team of the Year, Breakthrough of the Year, Comeback of the Year, Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability, Action Sportsperson of the Year, and the Sport for Good Award.

In a record-breaking year at the 2023 ceremony, Messi became the first athlete to claim two awards when he picked up the Sportsman of the Year and Team of the Year awards following Argentina’s 2022 World Cup success.

So, when are the 2024 winners announced and which athletes are in contention?

Considered one of the most prestigious nights in sport, this year’s ceremony will take place in Madrid, Spain on Monday, April 22.

Messi headlines the top men’s category for a second successive year, following his record-breaking scoop last time. He is alongside tennis ace Djokovic, who won three Grand Slam titles in 2023.

Erling Haaland and Max Verstappen are also in line for the award having dominated their respective fields. Norwegian Haaland led Manchester City to a historic treble with 52 goals in as many games, while Red Bull’s Verstappen roared to victory in 19 of 22 F1 races last season to clinch a third successive World Championship title.

Tennis world No. 1 Swiatek and alpine skiing legend Shiffrin – who broke the record for most World Cup wins in 2023 – are included in the Sportswomen of the Year nominations alongside Barcelona midfielder and Ballon d’Or Feminin winner Aitana Bonmati.

Following his blistering start to life at Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham features amongst the Breakthrough of the Year nominees, which includes tennis star Coco Gauff after her maiden Grand Slam triumph at the US Open.

• Lionel Messi (Football) – Sportsman of the Year
• Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Athletics) – Sportswomen of the Year
• Argentina men’s football team – Team of the Year
• Carlos Alcaraz (Tennis) – Breakthrough of the Year
• Christian Eriksen (Football) – Comeback of the Year
• Catherine Debrunner (Para Athletics) – Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability
• Eileen Gu (Freestyle Skiing) – Action Sportsperson of the Year
• Sport for Good Award – TeamUp

Sportsman of the Year: Lionel Messi (Football), Novak Djokovic (Tennis), Erling Haaland (Football), Max Verstappen (Motor racing), Mondo Duplantis (Athletics), Noah Lyles (Athletics)

Sportswoman of the Year: Iga Swiatek (Tennis), Mikaela Shiffrin (Alpine skiing), Aitana Bonmati (Football), Faith Kipyegon (Athletics), Shericka Jackson (Athletics), Sha’Carri Richardson (Athletics)

Team of the Year: Manchester City (Football), Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team, South Africa Springboks (Rugby union), Spain women’s football team, Europe Ryder Cup team (Golf), Germany men’s basketball team

Breakthrough of the Year: Jude Bellingham (Football), Coco Gauff (Tennis), Linda Caicedo (Football), Qin Haiyang (Swimming), Josh Kerr (Athletics), Salma Paralluelo (Football)

Comeback of the Year: Simone Biles (Artistic gymnastics), Sebastien Haller (Football), Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Athletics), Siya Kolisi (Rugby union), Jamal Murray (Basketball), Marketa Vondrousova (Tennis)

Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Simone Barlaam (Para swimming), Danylo Chufarov (Para swimming), Diede de Groot (Wheelchair tennis), Luca Ekler (Para athletics), Nicole Murray (Para cycling), Markus Rehm (Para athletics)

Sportsperson of the Year: Rayssa Leal (Skateboarding), Caroline Marks (Surfing), Kirsten Neuschafer (Sailing), Bethany Shriever (BMX racing), Filipe Toledo (Surfing), Arisa Trew (Skateboarding)

Sport for Good Award: Bola Pra Frente (Multi-sport & employability), Dancing Grounds (Dancing & social integration), Fundacion Rafa Nadal (Multi-sport & education), ISF Cambodia (Football & education), Justice Desk Africa (Multi-sport & human rights), Obiettivo Napoli (Multi-sport & inclusion)