The Super Eagles have not been nominated for the 2026 CAF Men’s National Team of the Year award despite finishing third at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The list of nominees for the prestigious accolade was announced on Wednesday via the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) official X account ahead of the awards ceremony scheduled to take place in Lagos on December 7.
All 10 nominees are the same 10 teams that represented Africa at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which was co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Nigeria missed out on qualification for the global tournament for a second consecutive edition after finishing second behind South Africa in their qualifying group.
More Read
The Super Eagles, however, had another opportunity to secure a World Cup ticket as they finished among the four best second-placed teams across Africa, earning them a place in the four-team CAF playoff tournament in Morocco.
Eric Chelle’s side subsequently defeated Gabon 4-1 after extra time in the playoff semi-final to reach the final, where they lost to DR Congo on penalties following a 1-1 draw, bringing their World Cup qualification hopes to an end.
Despite the disappointment, Nigeria went on to enjoy an impressive campaign at the 2025 AFCON, winning five consecutive matches and scoring 14 goals on their way to the semi-finals.
However, their title ambitions were ended by hosts Morocco, who defeated them on penalties after a goalless draw.
The Super Eagles subsequently bounced back in the third-place match, defeating Egypt 4-2 on penalties following another goalless draw to secure the bronze medal.
The 10 nominees for the Men’s National Team of the Year award are Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia.
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.
