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Pau Cubarsi Wins 2026 Kopa Trophy

Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi was voted the 2026 Kopa Trophy winner, the award that honours the best footballer under 21. The 19‑year‑old, who has become a regular for Barcelona under Hansi Flick, also played every minute of Spain’s 2026 World Cup campaign, helping the team keep a single clean sheet in eight matches. Cubarsi’s triumph follows back‑to‑back wins by fellow Barcelona youth Lamine Yamal and precedes previous winners Gavi and Pedri. No club outside Barcelona has produced multiple Kopa winners and Spain is the only country with more than one recipient. Cubarsi joined Barcelona’s La Masia from Girona in 2018, made his first‑team debut in 2023, and has already amassed two La Liga titles and an Olympic gold with Spain. The award adds to Barcelona’s growing reputation for developing world‑class talent.

· FourFourTwo

The essential points

  1. 01Pau Cubarsi, 19, wins 2026 Kopa Trophy, becoming Barcelona’s fifth winner in six years.
  2. 02Cubarsi played every minute of Spain’s 2026 World Cup, contributing to a single clean sheet across eight matches.
  3. 03The award follows back‑to‑back wins by Barcelona youth Lamine Yamal and precedes earlier winners Gavi and Pedri.
  4. 04Cubarsi joined Barcelona’s La Masia from Girona in 2018, debuted in 2023, and has already secured two La Liga titles and an Olympic gold.
The full brief

Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi was voted the 2026 Kopa Trophy winner, the award that honours the best footballer under 21. The 19‑year‑old, who has become a regular for Barcelona under Hansi Flick, also played every minute of Spain’s 2026 World Cup campaign, helping the team keep a single clean sheet in eight matches. Cubarsi’s triumph follows back‑to‑back wins by fellow Barcelona youth Lamine Yamal and precedes previous winners Gavi and Pedri.

No club outside Barcelona has produced multiple Kopa winners and Spain is the only country with more than one recipient. Cubarsi joined Barcelona’s La Masia from Girona in 2018, made his first‑team debut in 2023, and has already amassed two La Liga titles and an Olympic gold with Spain. The award adds to Barcelona’s growing reputation for developing world‑class talent.