Olivia Smith Shortlisted for 2026 PFA Young Player of the Year

Olivia Smith’s rise shows no sign of slowing.

The Arsenal forward has been shortlisted for the 2026 PFA Young Player of the Year award, a place among the final six confirming what this season has already suggested: she now belongs firmly among the elite of the women’s game.

It is players who decide this one. The nominees are those who collected the most votes from their peers across the league, a measure of respect that can’t be faked and can’t be bought.

Smith earned that respect quickly in north London. Signed from Liverpool last summer, she announced herself at Emirates Stadium with a goal that instantly lived in the memory – a thunderous long-range strike against London City Lionesses on her Arsenal debut. One swing of her boot, and any doubts about how she would handle the step into a new environment disappeared.

The big moments kept coming. In February, with silverware on the line, she struck again in a 3-2 win over Corinthians, a decisive contribution in Arsenal’s capture of the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup. On a new stage for the club, Smith delivered.

Across the 2025/26 campaign, the numbers backed up the eye test. Ten goals in 38 appearances in all competitions underlined her consistency and durability in a side chasing honours on multiple fronts. At international level, she continued to push forward, adding three appearances for Canada in this calendar year as her reputation spread beyond club football.

This nomination also carries a sense of déjà vu. Smith is not just a rising star; she is the defending Young Player of the Year. She lifted the same PFA award in 2025 after her final season with Liverpool, and now stands on the brink of doing something rare: winning it in back-to-back seasons, with two different clubs.

She will not have it all her own way. The shortlist is stacked with talent. Alyssa Thompson and Veerle Buurman fly the flag for Chelsea, Freya Godfrey represents London City Lionesses, Laura Blindkilde Brown stands for Manchester City, and Toko Koga carries the Tottenham Hotspur challenge. Six young players, six very different paths, one prize.

Arsenal’s influence on the night may not stop there. Alessia Russo is also in the frame, nominated for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award, another category shaped by the votes of those who share the pitch with her.

All eyes now turn to August 25, when the winners will be revealed at the awards ceremony. For Olivia Smith, it could be the evening that confirms what her season has already hinted at: that last year’s breakthrough was only the beginning.