--- title: "FC Schalke 04 Club of the Year Hamburg; Bundesliga return after three years in second division" sdDatePublished: "2026-09-02T09:06:00Z" source: "https://www.axelspringer.com/en/ax-press-release/sport-bild-award-2026-the-years-biggest-sports-stars-honored" topics: - name: "football" identifier: "medtop:20001065" - name: "darts" identifier: "medtop:20000912" - name: "tennis" identifier: "medtop:20001085" - name: "luge" identifier: "medtop:20000987" - name: "charity" identifier: "medtop:20000818" - name: "news media" identifier: "medtop:20000046" locations: - "Cortina d'Ampezzo" - "Beiyuan" - "Ulm" - "Hamburg" - "Köln" - "Bonn" - "England" - "United States" - "Mexico" - "Canada" - "Germany" --- FC Schalke 04 Club of the Year Hamburg; Bundesliga return after three years in second division SPORT BILD Award 2026: The Year’s Biggest Sports Stars Honored – Axel Springer SE SPORT BILD Award 2026: The Year's Biggest Sports Stars Honored "If you know him, you like him": Comedian Bruno Jonas delivers the tribute to "legend" Uli Hoeneß It was a night of powerful emotions, great stories, and extraordinary achievements. The SPORT BILD Award 2026 ceremony in Hamburg on Monday evening, August 31, 2026, honored the outstanding individuals, teams, and initiatives of the sporting year. For the first time, TV host Esther Sedlaczek led the evening together with SPORT BILD editor-in-chief Henning Feindt. The focus was on peak athletic performance, moving comebacks, and remarkable community engagement. Winners in ten categories were honored at Hamburg’s Fischauktionshalle before around 700 guests from sports, politics, business, and the media: Uli Hoeneß is the Legend Bayern honorary president Uli Hoeneß received the Legend Award for his singular life’s work. As a player and an executive, the Ulm native won 48 titles in total, among them the 1972 European Championship and the 1974 World Cup with the German national team. In 1979, at only 27, Hoeneß took over as general manager of a debt-ridden FC Bayern Munich and, over the following decades, built the club into one of the largest sports brands in the world. He later served as president and chairman of the supervisory board of Germany’s record champions. The tribute was delivered by comedian Bruno Jonas, who has been closely connected to Hoeneß for many years. He highlighted the “finely calibrated impulse control” of a modern-day saint to whom nothing needs to be added: “The truth lives on Lake Tegernsee.” Uli Hoeneß showed himself to be a legend, but nowhere near the end: “The hunger is still there. I love people who are hungry.” FC Schalke 04 is Club of the Year FC Schalke 04 is back in the Bundesliga. After three years in the second division, the storied club from the Ruhr region returned to the top flight and thrilled its fans with an unforgettable promotion. The 1-0 win in the decisive home game against Fortuna Düsseldorf on matchday 32 set off extraordinary emotion and euphoria. Head coach Miron Muslic, sporting director Youri Mulder, and goalkeeper Loris Karius accepted the award on the club’s behalf. Simply gold: Olympic Award for Julia Taubitz Olympic gold after a dramatic setback: Julia Taubitz received the Olympic Award. Four years after crashing on the track at the 2022 Games in Beijing, she completed an impressive comeback in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The luger won gold in the singles event and with the German team relay, and she won over audiences with her warm, authentic manner. Rule the darts: World Champion Award goes to Luke Littler Darts sensation Luke Littler received the World Champion Award. The 19-year-old Englishman is the youngest world champion in the history of his sport. After his first triumph at London’s Alexandra Palace in 2025, he defended the title emphatically in 2026. “Luke the Nuke” dominates the darts world like almost no player before him. He also became the first darts professional to pass one million followers on Instagram. Big serve: Alexander Zverev is Star of the Year The Star of the Year title went to tennis professional Alexander Zverev. The Hamburg native fulfilled his greatest dream in 2026, winning his first Grand Slam title at the French Open. “I’ve worked toward this my whole life,” Zverev said in a video message alongside a visibly proud Hamburg interior senator, Andy Grote. Because the world-ranked player is competing at the US Open in New York, he was unable to accept the award in person. Together, not side by side: Allinclusion Sports receives the Kids Charity Award by Hagedorn: Tobias Gemein of the Allinclusion Sports association received the Kids Charity Award for his exemplary community engagement. The first inclusive indoor sports club in Bonn and Cologne gets children with and without disabilities moving together. The initiative’s mottos are “Together, not side by side” and “Experience over results.” His mother, Sandra Gemein, accepted the award with emotional words. The 50,000-euro prize was donated by the Thomas Hagedorn Foundation. The goalscorer: Harry Kane is Soccer Star of the Year: The Soccer Star of the Year award went to Harry Kane. With an incredible 61 goals in competitive matches from just 51 appearances, the England international made sports history. In the Bundesliga, Kane scored 36 goals and claimed the league’s top-scorer trophy for the third consecutive season, a feat never achieved before. He also produced a standout performance in the DFB Cup final. At the World Cup, he captained England to third place and contributed six goals to the tournament. Editorial board’s special award: Leo Neugebauer is “King of Athletes” Decathlete Leo Neugebauer received the editorial board’s special award. After his world title in 2025, the exceptional athlete confirmed his world-class form again in 2026 with victory at the European Championships in Birmingham. The closing 1,500 meters were especially dramatic, with Neugebauer defending his lead over Niklas Kaul on his last reserves. Few athletes stand for consistency at the highest level the way he does, and he has earned the right to call himself “King of Athletes.” Well connected: TV Award for MagentaTV and surprise award for Johannes B. Kerner The TV Award went to MagentaTV for its outstanding coverage of the soccer World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Broadcasting all 104 tournament matches, the network convinced not only on scope but also on quality, expert analysis, and entertainment value. Laura Wontorra, Wolff Fuss, Arnim Butzen, Tabea Kemme, and Johannes B. Kerner accepted the SPORT BILD Award 2026 on the network’s behalf. Kerner also received a personal surprise award from SPORT BILD editor-in-chief Henning Feindt for the way he has redefined sports presenting on television over the past 20 years. Henning Feindt, editor-in-chief of SPORT BILD : “These winners have thrilled Germany and the world of sports. They have broken records, won titles, overcome setbacks, and carried millions of people with them. Stories exactly like these are what make sport so special. The SPORT BILD Award honors more than success. Above all, it honors people who move and inspire fans.” Guests at the SPORT BILD Award 2026 included FC Bayern president Herbert Hainer, Red Bull managing director Oliver Mintzlaff, German Football Association president Bernd Neuendorf, OMR chief Philipp Westermeyer, Italian TV host Diletta Leotta, TV hosts Alexander Bommes and Florian König, soccer analyst Marcel Reif, Olympic champion Gina Lückenkemper, handball legend Stefan Kretzschmar, and Borussia Dortmund managing director Lars Ricken, along with numerous other figures from sports, media, business, and public life. With the SPORT BILD Award, Europe’s largest sports magazine has honored the individuals, teams, and moments that shaped the sporting year in a special way since 2003. The awards rank among the most prestigious honors in German sports. Senior Communications Manager BILD Group