The Super Falcons and three Nigerian women’s football representatives have been shortlisted for the 2026 CAF Awards, but the country’s men’s teams and leading players have been completely overlooked.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced the full list of nominees ahead of the awards ceremony, which will take place in Lagos on 7 December 2026 at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, formerly known as the National Theatre, in Iganmu.
It will be the fourth time Lagos has hosted Africa’s leading football awards, after previous ceremonies in 2008, 2013 and 2014. The event will recognise the continent’s best players, coaches, clubs and national teams from the past year.
Nigeria’s absence from all seven men’s categories is a significant setback. No Super Eagles player, goalkeeper, coach, club or the national team received a nomination.
Victor Osimhen, the 2023 African Player of the Year, and Ademola Lookman, who won the award in 2024, were both excluded from the Men’s Player of the Year shortlist. It is the first time in more than a decade that Nigeria has not been represented in that category.
Morocco and Senegal lead the men’s nominations, with three contenders each. The 10 nominees for Men’s Player of the Year are Amad Diallo (Cote d’Ivoire/Manchester United), Yoane Wissa (DR Congo/Newcastle United), Antoine Semenyo (Ghana/Manchester City), Ismael Saibari (Morocco/Bayern Munich), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/Paris Saint-Germain), Brahim Diaz (Morocco/Real Madrid), Ismaila Sarr (Senegal/Crystal Palace), Pape Gueye (Senegal/Villarreal), Sadio Mane (Senegal/Al-Nassr) and Teboho Mokoena (South Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns).
The men’s shortlists also feature strong representation from northern and southern Africa. Yassine Bounou (Morocco), Edouard Mendy (Senegal) and Ronwen Williams (South Africa) are nominated for Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year.
Mamelodi Sundowns, RS Berkane, AS FAR, Zamalek and Esperance de Tunis are in contention for Men’s Club of the Year. The nominees for Men’s National Team of the Year are Algeria, Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia.
The Coach of the Year shortlist includes Walid Regragui of Morocco and Bubista of Cabo Verde, among others.
Nigerian representation in women’s awards
Nigeria’s strongest presence comes in the women’s categories. The Super Falcons are nominated for Women’s National Team of the Year, while Edo Queens goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma is shortlisted for Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year.
Seimeyeha Janet Akekoromowei (Benfica/Falconets) and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi (Robo Queens/Flamingos) are both nominees for Women’s Young Player of the Year.
However, Nigeria has no representative in the Women’s Player of the Year category. The shortlist includes Tabitha Chawinga of Malawi, Barbra Banda of Zambia and Thembi Kgatlana of South Africa.
Other nominees for Women’s National Team of the Year are Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Morocco and South Africa. The winners will be announced at the Lagos ceremony on 7 December.