The final five nominees for the 2026 Investec European Player of the Year have been revealed, with Champions Cup semi-finalists Bath, Leinster and Bordeaux represented. 

The shortlist was selected via a panel of rugby legends, journalists and fan votes, and follows a previous 10-man shortlist for the award back in January.

The winner of the award will be fully decided by a public vote, which is open until Saturday, May 23 at 15:30 UK time (16:30 CEST), and will be announced immediately after the Investec Champions Cup Final in Bilbao.

Final Investec European Player of the Year shortlist revealed

European title holders Bordeaux-Begles boast two inclusions on the five-man shortlist, coming in the form of France superstars Matthieu Jalibert and Louis Bielle-Biarrey.

Fly-half Jalibert has featured in all of UBB’s European fixtures this season and has been a key part of their road to the semi-final stages. Across his six outings in the Investec Champions Cup so far, he has notched five tries and seven conversions.

‘Science and gut’ – How PREM sides prepare to ‘fight on two fronts’ as European and domestic season reaches its climax

Winger Bielle-Biarrey is also nominated for his second Player of the Year award this season after scooping the Six Nations Player of the Championship earlier this month, and it comes with him yet again starring for UBB. He, too, has featured in all six of their Investec Champions Cup fixtures to date, and sits as the competition’s joint-top try-scorer with seven to his name.

Bordeaux’s semi-final opponents Bath also see two of their players included, with British and Irish Lions and Scotland ace Finn Russell and red-hot England hopeful Alfie Barbeary listed on the shortlist.

Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust.

Russell has enjoyed a decent go of it on the continent this season, powering Bath’s push for further European honours a year after their EPCR Challenge Cup triumph, and currently sits at the top of the points-scoring chart with 75 to his name.

Back-rower Barbeary has been in arguably career-best form for Bath this season, his last before heading to PREM rivals Saracens, and has already won three Man of the Match awards in his five Ivestec Champions Cup outings.

Bath to ‘make decision’ on England stars ahead of Northampton Saints showdown as further update issued on Test trio

Rounding off the shortlist is Ireland international Caelan Doris, who played every minute of the pool stage and round-of-16 before injury saw him miss the quarter-final.

2026 Investec Player of the Year final five nominees

Alfie Barbeary, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Caelan Doris, Matthieu Jalibert, Finn Russell

READ MORE: Damian Willemse is ‘wasted’ on the wing as Schalk Burger issues Glasgow Warriors warning