Some of Africa’s biggest football stars, including reigning African Player of the Year Achraf Hakimi, former winners Sadio Mané and established internationals Antoine Semenyo, Brahim Diaz and Amad Diallo, feature among the nominees for the Men’s categories of the CAF Awards 2026, unveiled by the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF).
The prestigious awards ceremony will take place in Lagos, Nigeria, on Monday, 07 December 2026, bringing together Africa’s leading football personalities to celebrate outstanding achievements at club and international level.
The nominations follow a remarkable year for African football, highlighted by the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025, the continent’s record-breaking participation at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and fiercely contested CAF Interclub competitions.
Morocco, Senegal and South Africa are strongly represented following impressive performances in major international competitions, while several emerging talents have earned recognition after making significant breakthroughs on the world stage.
Hakimi will seek to retain the Men’s Player of the Year award against an impressive field that includes Mané, Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr and Pape Gueye, Ghana’s Semenyo, Morocco’s Diaz and Ismael Saibari, DR Congo’s Yoane Wissa and South Africa’s Teboho Mokoena.
The CAF Awards 2026 will also recognise the outstanding contributions of goalkeepers, coaches, young players, clubs and national teams that have distinguished themselves during the year.
Ten nominees have been selected in each of the seven Men’s categories: Player of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, Interclub Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Young Player of the Year, National Team of the Year and Club of the Year.
CAF MEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The race for Africa’s most prestigious individual football honour features an exceptional combination of established stars, continental champions and players who excelled at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi returns to defend the award he won in 2025 after another year at the highest level with Paris Saint-Germain and the Atlas Lions.
Senegal’s Sadio Mané is bidding to add another honour to his impressive career, while compatriot Pape Gueye was one of the outstanding performers at the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025.
Crystal Palace forward Ismaila Sarr completes Senegal’s three-man representation following impressive performances in English football and for the national team.
Morocco’s Brahim Diaz and Ismael Saibari also feature prominently after helping their country reach the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals for a second successive tournament.
Ghana’s Antoine Semenyo earns recognition following his rise in English football and with the Black Stars, while Côte d’Ivoire’s Amad Diallo has established himself as an influential attacking player for the Elephants and at Manchester United.
DR Congo’s Yoane Wissa and South Africa’s Teboho Mokoena, a key figure in Mamelodi Sundowns’ continental success, complete the ten-man shortlist.
Nominees:
· Amad Diallo (Côte 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 Mané (Senegal/Al-Nassr)
· Teboho Mokoena (South Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns)
CAF MEN’S GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
· Oussama Benbot (Algeria/USM Alger)
· Josimar José Évora Dias ‘Vozinha’ (Cabo Verde/Colo-Colo)
· Yahia Fofana (Côte d’Ivoire/Rizespor)
· Lionel Mpasi (DR Congo/Le Havre)
· El-Mahdi Soliman (Egypt/Zamalek)
· Mostafa Shobeir (Egypt/Al Ahly)
· Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti (Morocco/AS FAR)
· Yassine Bonou (Morocco/Al Hilal)
· Edouard Mendy (Senegal/Al Ahli)
· Ronwen Williams (South Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns)
CAF MEN’S INTERCLUB PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
· Abdennour Belhocini (Algeria/CR Belouizdad)
· Ahmed Khaldi (Algeria/USM Alger)
· Mahmoud Hassan ‘Trezeguet’ (Egypt/Al Ahly)
· Mohamed Shehata (Egypt/Zamalek)
· Mohamed Rabie Hrimat (Morocco/AS FAR)
· Mounir Chouiar (Morocco/RS Berkane)
· Sofiane El Moudane (Morocco/Olympic Safi)
· Khuliso Mudau (South Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns)
· Teboho Mokoena (South Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns)
· Abdel Raouf (Sudan/Al Hilal)
CAF MEN’S COACH OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
· Lamine N’Diaye (USM Alger)
· Pedro Leitão Brito ‘Bubista’ (Cabo Verde)
· Sébastien Desabre (DR Congo)
· Hossam Hassan (Egypt)
· Moatamed Gamal (Zamalek)
· Alexandre Santos (AS FAR)
· Mohamed Ouahbi (Morocco)
· Walid Regragui (Morocco)
· Pape Thiaw (Senegal)
· Miguel Cardoso (Mamelodi Sundowns)
CAF MEN’S YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
· Ibrahim Maza (Algeria/Bayer Leverkusen)
· Christian Kofane (Cameroon/Bayer Leverkusen)
· Christ Inao (Côte d’Ivoire/Fiorentina)
· Yan Diomande (Côte d’Ivoire/Real Madrid)
· Hamza Abdelkarim (Egypt/Barcelona)
· Caleb Yirenkyi (Ghana/Coventry City)
· Ismael Kamissoko (Mali/Etoiles Mandé)
· Abdellah Ouazane (Morocco/Ajax)
· Ayoub Bouaddi (Morocco/Manchester City)
· Ibrahim Mbaye (Senegal/Aston Villa)
CAF MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
· Algeria
· Cabo Verde
· Côte d’Ivoire
· DR Congo
· Egypt
· Ghana
· Morocco
· Senegal
· South Africa
· Tunisia
CAF MEN’S CLUB OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
· CR Belouizdad (Algeria)
· USM Alger (Algeria)
· AS Maniema (DR Congo)
· Zamalek (Egypt)
· AS FAR (Morocco)
· Olympic Safi (Morocco)
· RS Berkane (Morocco)
· Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
· Al Hilal (Sudan)
· Espérance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia)