Who’s in the Running? Ballon d’Or Nominees for Women’s Team Coach of the Year.

With the Ballon d’Or around the corner (ceremony taking place on 22nd September 2025 in Paris), let’s take a deep dive into all the 2025 nominees for the Women’s Team Coach of The Year trophy and everything that you’ll need to know about them.

The first nominee is Sonia Bompastor (manager of Chelsea Women FC), this year she has led her team to win the historic treble, winning the Women's Super League, the League Cup, and the FA Cup, finishing unbeaten in domestic competitions. Sonia only took over Chelsea as manager at the end of May 2024 and has guided her team through to great success.  

The second nominee is Arthur Elias (manager of the Brazilian Women’s National Team), this summer he has guided Brazil through to becoming Copa América Femenina winners. Arthur was only appointed Brazil head coach in September 2023, however since then, he has help to rise the national team.

The third nominee is Justine Madugu (manager of Nigeria Women’s National Team), he led Nigeria’s Super Falcons to their 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title in Morocco earlier this year. Madugu also received Best Coach of the Tournament at WAFCON.

The fourth nominee is Renée Slegers (manager of Arsenal Women FC), she led Arsenal Women to win the Women’s Champions League, beating Barcelona in the final. This was Arsenal’s second ever Champions League title. Following this, Slegers also already won Manager of the Month in the WSL (February etc).  

The fifth and final nominee is Sarina Wiegman (manager of England Women’s national team), in the summer, she led the Lionesses to UEFA Women’s Euros in Switzerland. It was a very tense tournament, as well as facing Spain who they previously lost too in the World Cup Final, but England found glory and took home their 2nd WEURO title.  

These nominees aren’t just chasing a trophy, they’re rewriting the game. From Madugu proving African coaches belong on the biggest stage, to Slegers masterminding Arsenal’s big Champions League win, this shortlist of nominees screams growth, grit, and game-changing energy. The Ballon d’Or will crown one winner, but the truth is the real victory is how far the women’s game has come and how much further it’s about to go!