Get Guardian on GoogleThe Confederation of African Football (CAF) has released the list of nominees for the 2026 edition of the CAF Awards, with no Super Eagles and Super Falcons players in the Men’s and Women’s categories for Player of the Year simultaneously for the first time.
The list was released on Wednesday, and for the first time, no Super Eagles player made it to the list of nominees for the Men’s Player of the Year Award.
Despite having commendable outings at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, neither Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Calvin Bassey, nor Alex made the cut, as they guided the Super Eagles to a third-place finish.
Victor Osimhen won the 2023 Men’s Player of the Year while at Napoli, while Ademola Lookman repeated the feat in 2024 in a remarkable season where he bagged a historic hat-trick in the Europa League final.
Similarly, no player from the Super Falcons made the list in the Women’s category following a disappointing performance at this year’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The Super Falcons could not defend their title, failed to reach the semi-finals, thereby missing out on the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time since its inaugural edition held in China in 1999.
Meanwhile, Nigeria had nominees in the Women’s Young Player of the Year category, Falconets striker Janet Akekoromowei and Flamingos’ forward Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, who is currently representing Nigeria at the ongoing FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco. The Super Falcons also got a nomination in the Women’s Team of the Year.
Hakimi, Diaz, and Mané to contest CAF Men’s Player of the Year
Current holder Achraf Hakimi will contend with countrymen Ismael Saibari and Brahim Diaz, 2022 winner Sadio Mané, and six other African stars as he looks to retain his prize.
Hakimi was instrumental in leading Morocco to the now-disputed AFCON final and had a brilliant outing helping PSG retain the Champions League and Ligue 1, while Diaz claimed the Golden Shoe at AFCON with five goals.
Sadio Mané won his second AFCON (tentative, pending the outcome of CAS ruling) with Senegal in a dramatic final as the Al Nassr forward scored two goals in the competition.
Manchester United and Côte d’Ivoire’s Amad Diallo, South Africa’s Teboho Mokoena, Yoane Wissa of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana’s Antoine Semenyo, and Senegal’s Ismaïla Sarr and Pape Gueye are the other nominees.
Chawinga sisters eye CAF WPOTY
In the women’s category, Malawian sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga are in the running to win the prize after a brilliant individual outing at the tournament in a historic WAFCON, as they reached the final on their debut appearance at the tournament. Even though the Scorchers lost in the final to Cameroon, the Chawinga sisters left an indelible mark that would remain etched in the history of the competition.
Both sisters combined for nine goals: Tabitha scored four goals, while Temwa finished with five goals and two assists as she claimed the Golden Boot Award. Other nominees include Marine Dafeur of Algeria, Cameroon’s championship trio Marie Ngah Manga, Michaely Bihina, and Monique Ngock, Ghana’s Portia Boakye, Morocco’s Hanane Aït El Haj, South Africa’s Thembi Kgatlana, and Zambia’s Barbra Banda.
The Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts in Lagos will host the 2026 CAF Awards on December 7.
