Lionesses and Lionel Messi lead nominations for Laureus Sports Awards

Rafael Nadal and Max Verstappen are also among the nominees

Jill Scott (centre) with Beth Mead and Lauren Hemp celebrating the UEFA Women’s Euro victory in July 2022 (The FA via Getty Images)

England’s Lionesses have been nominated for the Laureus World Team of the Year award after securing Euro 2022 triumph.

Sarina Wiegman’s side became the first senior England football team to win a major trophy since England’s men at the 1966 World Cup with a 2-1 victory in the final against Germany at Wembley.

The continental crown sees them earn a nomination for the Team of the Year award, with England facing in-sport competition from men’s World Cup winners Argentina and Real Madrid, who won the men’s Champions League.

The NBA’s Golden State Warriors and Red Bull of Formula 1 complete the five-team shortlist.

“We’re really honoured that we are nominated, especially for such a prestigious award,” Wiegman said.

“We’ve been seen everywhere over the world, for what we’ve done, and that’s just really nice to be acknowledged.”

Lionel Messi’s leading role in Argentina’s World Cup victory earns him a seventh nomination for Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, with Paris Saint-Germain Kylian Mbappe also included.

2022 Australian and French Open winner Rafael Nadal matches Messi’s nomination tally, while Steph Curry (basketball), Mondo Duplantis (athletics) and Max Verstappen (F1) also earn recognition.

Athletes Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone lead the Sportswomen of the Year shortlist with swimmer Katie Ledecky also included.

Having suffered cardiac arrest at Euro 2020, Christian Eriksen’s return to action is among the nominees for Comeback of the Year, while tennis players Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina - who both won maiden Grand Slam singles titles last year - are among the contenders for Breakthrough of the Year.

The 2023 winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony later this year.

Sportswoman of the Year

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica) - Athletics

Katie Ledecky (USA) - Swimming

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) - Athletics

Alexia Putellas (Spain) - Football

Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) - Alpine skiing

Iga Swiatek (Poland) - Tennis

Sportsman of the Year

Steph Curry (USA) - Basketball

Armand Duplantis (Sweden) - Athletics

Kylian Mbappe (France) - Football

Lionel Messi (Argentina) - Football

Rafael Nadal (Spain) - Tennis

Max Verstappen (Netherlands) - Formula 1

Team of the Year

Argentina men’s football team

England women’s football team

France men’s rugby team

Golden State Warriors (USA) - Basketball

Red Bull Racing Formula 1

Real Madrid (Spain) - Football

Breakthrough of the Year

Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) - Tennis

Tobi Amusan (Nigeria) - Athletics

Nathan Chen (USA) - Figure skating

Morocco men’s football team

Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) - Tennis

Scottie Scheffler (USA) - Golf

Comeback of the Year

Francesco Bagnaia (Italy) - MotoGP

Christian Eriksen (Denmark) - Football

Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway) - Athletics

Klay Thompson (USA) - Basketball

Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands) - Cycling

Tiger Woods (USA) - Golf

Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability

Diede de Groot (Netherlands) - Wheelchair tennis

Catherine Debrunner (Switzerland) - Para-athletics

Declan Farmer (USA) - Para-ice hockey

Cameron Leslie (New Zealand) - Para-swimming and wheelchair rugby

Oksana Masters (USA) - Para-cross-country skiing

Jesper Saltvik Pedersen (Norway) - Para-alpine skiing

World Action Sportsperson of the Year

Justine Dupont (France) - Big wave surfing

Stephanie Gilmore (Australia) - Surfing

Eileen Gu (China) - Freestyle skiing

Chloe Kim (USA) - Snowboarding

Rayssa Leal (Brazil) - Skateboarding

Filipe Toledo (Brazil) - Surfing

Sport for Good Award

Boxgirls (Kenya) - Boxing

High Five (Germany) - Action sports

Made For More (South Africa) - Multi-sport

Slum Soccer (India) - Football

TeamUp - Support for refugee children