The 20-year-old Sporting player beat centre Óli Mittún, from the Faroe Islands, and winger Nikola Roganovic, from Sweden, the other finalists for the award created in 2023 by the IHF, whose voting for the current edition took place between 25 January and 10 February 2026.


Francisco Costa was the main figure of the Portuguese team that finished fifth in the recent 2026 European Championship (their best ever ranking), in which he was the best young player, best right back and the third best scorer, behind the Danes Mathias Gidsel, distinguished today as the best handball player in the world for 2025, and Simon Pytlick.

The right-back had already been among the finalists for the award for best young handball player in the world in 2024, the year in which the German Renars Uscins was distinguished, succeeding Elias á Skipagotu, from the Faroe Islands, winner of the inaugural edition in 2023.