No Nigerian has been nominated for the Women’s Player of the Year at the upcoming 2026 CAF Awards which will be held in Lagos on December 7.
The list of 10 nominees for the prestigious individual accolade was announced on Tuesday via the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) official X account, with players from seven different countries making the shortlist.
Cameroon, champions of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), lead the nominations with three players, while runners-up Malawi have two representatives. Algeria, Ghana, Morocco, South Africa and Zambia have one nominee each.
Among the leading contenders is Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga, who finished as the top scorer at the 2026 WAFCON with five goals. Cameroon’s Monique Ngock, who was named Woman of the Competition, and goalkeeper Michaely Bihina, who claimed the tournament’s Best Goalkeeper award, also earned nominations.
More Read
Zambia captain Barbra Banda and Cameroon forward Marie Ngah Manga, who both scored five goals at the continental tournament, are also on the shortlist.
Malawi’s Tabitha Chawinga and South Africa’s Thembi Kgatlana, who each found the net four times at the competition make the list too.
The remaining nominees are Algeria’s Marine Dafeur, Ghanaian defender Portia Boakye and Moroccan fullback Hanane Aït El Haj.
It means none of the three finalists for the 2025 CAF Women’s Player of the Year award have made the shortlist this time. Ghizlane Chebbak who won the award, Sanaa Mssoudy and Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade have all missed out on nominations.
The 2026 CAF Awards ceremony will take place on December 7 in Lagos at the newly transformed Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, popularly known as the National Theatre.
The event marks Nigeria’s return as host of the prestigious African football awards for the first time in almost a decade.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
