The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially revealed the nominations for the 2026 CAF Awards.
Below is the complete breakdown covering the 2026 nominee rankings, the host country details, historic record-holders, and the past decade of Men's Player of the Year winners.
CAF Award Nominees Ranking & Key Contenders (2026)
CAF announced a 10-man shortlist for the flagship Men's Player of the Year award.
Top Contenders & Nominees
CAF Award: Which Country Will Host?
The 2026 CAF Awards ceremony will take place in Lagos, Nigeria.
Date: Monday, December 7, 2026.
Venue: Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, Iganmu, Lagos.
Significance: Marks the return of the event to West Africa, celebrating continental success following an intense international calendar.
CAF Award All-Time Record Holders
Since CAF officially took over the presentation of the African Footballer of the Year award in 1992, two players stand atop the all-time leaderboard:
| Rank | Player | Country | Total Awards | Winning Years |
| 1 | Samuel Eto'o | 🇨🇲 Cameroon | 4 | 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010 |
| = | Yaya Touré | 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast | 4 | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 (4 consecutive) |
| 3 | George Weah | 🇱🇷 Liberia | 3 | 1989, 1994, 1995 (France Football & CAF) |
| = | Abedi Pele | 🇬🇭 Ghana | 3 | 1991, 1992, 1993 |
| 5 | Nwankwo Kanu | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 2 | 1996, 1999 |
| = | Didier Drogba | 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast | 2 | 2006, 2009 |
| = | El Hadji Diouf | 🇸🇳 Senegal | 2 | 2001, 2002 |
| = | Mohamed Salah | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 2 | 2017, 2018 |
| = | Sadio Mané | 🇸🇳 Senegal | 2 | 2019, 2022 |
CAF Award Winners (Last 10 Ceremonies)
Here are the Men's Player of the Year winners from the last 10 awarded ceremonies:
| Year | Player | Country | Club |
| 2025 | Achraf Hakimi | 🇲🇦 Morocco | Paris Saint-Germain |
| 2024 | Ademola Lookman | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | Atalanta |
| 2023 | Victor Osimhen | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | Napoli |
| 2022 | Sadio Mané | 🇸🇳 Senegal | Bayern Munich / Liverpool |
| 2019 | Sadio Mané | 🇸🇳 Senegal | Liverpool |
| 2018 | Mohamed Salah | 🇪🇬 Egypt | Liverpool |
| 2017 | Mohamed Salah | 🇪🇬 Egypt | Liverpool |
| 2016 | Riyad Mahrez | 🇩🇿 Algeria | Leicester City |
| 2015 | Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | 🇬🇦 Gabon | Borussia Dortmund |
| 2014 | Yaya Touré | 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast | Manchester City |
Women's Nominees Ranking & Men vs. Women Differences
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially revealed the nominations and categories for the 2026 Women's CAF Awards. Celebrating extraordinary excellence across women's football in Africa and international leagues, the annual gala remains the premier awards night for African female athletes.
Below is the complete guide covering the 2026 Women's CAF Award nominees ranking, structural differences between the Men's and Women's categories, all-time record holders, and the past decade of Women's Player of the Year winners.
Women's CAF Award Nominees Ranking & Key Contenders (2026)
CAF announced a 10-player shortlist competing for the flagship Women's African Player of the Year crown:
Top Contenders & Nominees
Differences Between Men's & Women's CAF Awards
While both galas honor the finest African talent, key structural and historical differences separate the two categories:
Inaugural Year: The Men's African Player of the Year award was established earlier (awarded by France Football in 1970 before official CAF adoption in 1992), whereas the Women's African Player of the Year was officially instituted in 2001.
National Dominance: The Men's award features widespread winner distribution across multiple nations (Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Senegal, Egypt, Morocco). In contrast, the Women's award has been overwhelmingly dominated by Nigeria, whose players have claimed 13 of the 22 awarded editions.
Interclub Structure: Men's Interclub awards focus on the long-standing CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup, whereas Women's Interclub categories center on the newly expanded CAF Women's Champions League (launched in 2021).
Historical Continuity: The Women's award experienced unawarded gap years (2009, 2013, 2020, and 2021) due to calendar disruptions, compared to an unbroken men's run prior to 2020.
Women's CAF Award: All-Time Record Holders
Nigerian legend Asisat Oshoala stands as the undisputed record holder for the most African Women's Player of the Year titles in history, surpassing her compatriot Perpetua Nkwocha:
| Rank | Player | Country | Total Awards | Winning Years |
| 1 | Asisat Oshoala | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 6 | 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023 |
| 2 | Perpetua Nkwocha | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 4 | 2004, 2005, 2010, 2011 |
| 3 | Cynthia Uwak | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 2 | 2006, 2007 |
| 4 | Mercy Akide | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 1 | 2001 (Inaugural Winner) |
| = | Alberta Sackey | 🇬🇭 Ghana | 1 | 2002 |
| = | Adjoa Bayor | 🇬🇭 Ghana | 1 | 2003 |
| = | Noko Matlou | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 1 | 2008 |
| = | Genoveva Añonma | 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea | 1 | 2012 |
| = | Gaëlle Enganamouit | 🇨🇲 Cameroon | 1 | 2015 |
| = | Thembi Kgatlana | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 1 | 2018 |
| = | Barbra Banda | 🇿🇲 Zambia | 1 | 2024 |
| = | Ghizlane Chebbak | 🇲🇦 Morocco | 1 | 2025 |
All-Time Titles by Nation
| Rank | Country | Titles Won |
| 1 | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 13 |
| 2 | 🇬🇭 Ghana | 2 |
| = | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 2 |
| 4 | 🇨🇲 Cameroon | 1 |
| = | 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea | 1 |
| = | 🇿🇲 Zambia | 1 |
| = | 🇲🇦 Morocco | 1 |
Women's CAF Award Winners (Last 10 Ceremonies)
Here is the honor roll of Women's African Player of the Year winners across the last 10 awarded ceremonies:
| Year | Player | Country | Club |
| 2025 | Ghizlane Chebbak | 🇲🇦 Morocco | Levante Las Planas / AS FAR |
| 2024 | Barbra Banda | 🇿🇲 Zambia | Orlando Pride / Shanghai Shengli |
| 2023 | Asisat Oshoala | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | FC Barcelona |
| 2022 | Asisat Oshoala | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | FC Barcelona |
| 2019 | Asisat Oshoala | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | FC Barcelona |
| 2018 | Thembi Kgatlana | 🇿🇦 South Africa | Houston Dash |
| 2017 | Asisat Oshoala | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | Dalian Quanjian |
| 2016 | Asisat Oshoala | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | Arsenal Women |
| 2015 | Gaëlle Enganamouit | 🇨🇲 Cameroon | Eskilstuna United |
| 2014 | Asisat Oshoala | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | Rivers Angels |
(Note: The awards were not held in 2020 and 2021 due to calendar disruptions).