According to a report by the London Evening Standard on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, Arsenal forward Alessia Russo has been nominated for the 2026 BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year award following an impressive season with both her club and the England national team.

The England international is among five players shortlisted for the prestigious individual honour. Football supporters will have the opportunity to vote for their preferred candidate, with the winner determined through a public voting process.

Russo’s nomination comes after an outstanding 2025-26 campaign, which proved to be the most productive season of her career so far. Her performances for Arsenal established her as one of the leading forwards in women’s football, while her contributions to England further strengthened her reputation.

The BBC announced the five-player shortlist on Tuesday morning, with Russo set to compete against Temwa Chawinga, Ewa Pajor, Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw and Alexia Putellas. The nominees were selected by an expert panel consisting of journalists, coaches, and current and former footballers.

Voting is open to the public and is scheduled to close at 9am GMT on Wednesday, November 18. The award, which is celebrating its 12th edition, will have its winner announced for the first time during the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony on December 13.

Russo has several achievements to support her chances of winning. She scored 24 goals in 40 appearances across all competitions for Arsenal last season, making her one of the club’s most important attacking players.

One of her standout performances came in March when she scored a hat-trick in Arsenal’s 5-2 victory over Tottenham in the north London derby. Her goals played an important role in securing an impressive result against their local rivals.

She also helped Arsenal make history by winning their first-ever Women’s Champions Cup title. The Gunners defeated Brazilian side Corinthians 3-2 after extra time to become the first winners of the competition.

At international level, Russo reached another major milestone in April when she scored her 30th senior goal for England. The achievement placed her among the top 10 goalscorers in the history of the Lionesses.

Arsenal have previously had several winners of the award, including Kim Little in 2016, Vivianne Miedema in 2021 and Beth Mead in 2022.

Russo finished second in last year’s voting and will now be hoping to claim the award for the first time after another successful season.