Osimhen, Lookman Miss Out on CAF Awards Nominations As Hakimi Favourite to Defend Crown
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Super Eagles Stars Fail to Make Cut for CAF Men's Player of the Year
The nominees for the 2026 CAF Awards were confirmed by the Confederation of African Football yesterday. The ceremony will take place in Lagos on December 7, but none of the Super Eagles players has made the cut for the CAF Men's Player of the Year.
In fact, it is not just the Men’s Player of the Year that has a lack of Nigerian players, as none of the three-time African champions’ stars features in the Goalkeeper of the Year, Interclub Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, or Young Player of the Year categories either.
Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, the reigning Men’s Player of the Year, leads the men’s individual awards nominees, with compatriot Brahim Diaz, former winner Sadio Mane, Pape Gueye and Antoine Semenyo among the frontrunners.
Super Falcons’ Asisat Oshoala, Rasheedat Ajibade, and Chiamaka Nnadozie were also omitted from the women’s nominations. However, Flamingos prospect Kemi Adegbuyi and Falconets forward Janet Akekoromowei secured places in the 10-player shortlist for the 2026 CAF Women’s Young Player award.
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While Nigeria’s players have largely been overlooked for this year's CAF awards, South Africa has several of their stars in the running in various categories.
In the CAF Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year category, Bafana Bafana skipper Ronwen Williams is one of the leading contenders after helping Mamelodi Sundowns clinch their second CAF Champions League title in May, beating AS Far 2-1 on aggregate.
Masandawana are also well represented in the Men's Interclub Player of the Year category, with Teboho Mokoena and defender Khuiso Mudau among the nominees. Mokoena netted in the second half of the final against AS FAR and is widely considered one of Bafana Bafana’s best players.
Miguel Cardoso is a leading contender for the Men’s Coach of the Year, alongside Pedro Leitao Brio, popularly known as Bubista, who oversaw Cape Verde’s historic run to the knockout stages of the 2026 World Cup in North America earlier this year.
Given the nominations, it is unsurprising that Mamelodi Sundowns are one of the leading contenders for the Men's Club of the Year award. Their success ended a decade-long wait for another continental crown and secured a record $6 million winners' prize.
