The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unveiled the full list of nominees for the 2025 CAF Awards, scheduled to take place later this year.
The prestigious awards celebrate exceptional performances and achievements across African football, recognising excellence among players, coaches, clubs and national teams in both the men’s and women’s categories.
This year’s shortlist highlights a blend of established stars and rising talents who have made significant contributions to African football over the past season.
Nigeria features prominently among the nominees, with players such as Rasheedat Ajibade, Chiamaka Nnadozie, and Esther Okoronkwo earning spots in key women’s categories, while Nigerian clubs and coaches also received nominations — a clear reflection of the country’s sustained impact on the continental stage.
Below is the full list of nominees in the women’s categories (as you provided), followed by the men’s categories (where publicly available).
Women’s Categories
Women’s Player of the Year
Portia Boakye
Tabitha Chawinga
Temwa Chawinga
Ghizlane Chebbak
Mama Diop
Rasheedat Ajibade
Esther Okoronkwo
Sanaa Mssoudy
Barba Banda
Racheal Kundananji
Women’s Club of the Year
Gaborone United
ASEC Mimosas
TP Mazembe
USFAS Bamako
ASFAR
DE Agosto
Mamelodi Sundowns
Bayelsa Queens FC
Aigles De La Medina
JKT Queens
Women’s National Team of the Year
Cameroon U17
Ghana
Ivory Coast U17
Mali
Morocco
Nigeria U17
Nigeria
South Africa
Tanzania
Zambia U17
Women’s Young Player of the Year
Habiba Essam
Habiba Sabry
Stella Nyamekye
Doha El Madani
Winfrida Gerald
Ester Maseke Marwa
Adji Ndiaye
Shakirat Moshood
Mercy Chipasula
Ruth Mukoma
Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year
Chloe N’Gazi
Sedilame Boseja
Fideline Ngoy
Habiba Emad
Chiamaka Nnadozie
Khadija Er-Rmichi
Fatoumata Karentao
Cynthia Konlan
Adji Ndiaye
Andile Dlamini
Coach of the Year (Women)
Adelaide Koudougnon
Siaka Gigi Traore
Lamia Boumehdi
Genoveva Anonman
Justine Madugu
Bankole Olowookere
Jorge Vilda
Kim Bjorkegren
Desiree Ellis
Karol Kayemba
Men’s Categories
Below are the publicly available nominees for the 2024 cycle (which likely carry over into the 2025 awards period) for key men’s categories of the CAF Awards. Source availability for 2025 may still be emerging.
Men’s Player of the Year
Amine Gouiri (Algeria / Rennes)
Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso / Bayer Leverkusen)
Simon Adingra (Côte d’Ivoire / Brighton & Hove Albion)
Chancel Mbemba (DR Congo / Olympique Marseille)
Serhou Guirassy (Guinea / Borussia Dortmund)
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco / Paris Saint-Germain)
Soufiane Rahimi (Morocco / Al Ain)
Ademola Lookman (Nigeria / Atalanta)
William Troost-Ekong (Nigeria / Al Kholood)
Ronwen Williams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns)
Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year
Oussama Benbot (Algeria / USM Alger)
Andre Onana (Cameroon / Manchester United)
Yahia Fofana (Côte d’Ivoire / Angers)
Lionel Mpasi (DR Congo / Rodez)
Mostafa Shobeir (Egypt / Al Ahly)
Djigui Diarra (Mali / Young Africans)
Munir El Kajoui (Morocco / RS Berkane)
Stanley Nwabali (Nigeria / Chippa United)
Ronwen Williams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns)
Amanallah Memmiche (Tunisia / Esperance Sportive de Tunis)
Men’s Inter-club Player of the Year
Oussama Benbot (Algeria / USM Alger)
Issoufou Dayo (Burkina Faso / RS Berkane)
Ahmed Sayed ‘Zizo’ (Egypt / Zamalek)
Hussein El Shahat (Egypt / Al Ahly)
Mostafa Shobeir (Egypt / Al Ahly)
Abdul Aziz Issah (Ghana / Dreams FC)
John Antwi (Ghana / Dreams FC)
Amanallah Memmiche (Tunisia / Esperance Sportive de Tunis)
Yassine Merriah (Tunisia / Esperance Sportive de Tunis)
Ronwen Williams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Pedro Gonçalves (Angola)
Brama Traoré (Burkina Faso)
Emerse Fae (Côte d’Ivoire)
Sébastien Desabre (DR Congo)
José Gomes (Zamalek)
Marcel Koller (Al Ahly)
Chiquinho Condé (Mozambique)
Hugo Broos (South Africa)
Florent Ibenge (Al Hilal)
Kwesi Appiah (Sudan)
Men’s Young Player of the Year
Carlos Baleba (Cameroon / Brighton & Hove Albion)
Karim Konaté (Côte d’Ivoire / Salzburg)
Oumar Diakité (Côte d’Ivoire / Reims)
Yankuba Minteh (Gambia / Brighton & Hove Albion)
Abdul Aziz Issah (Ghana / Dreams FC / Barcelona)
Bilal El Khannouss (Morocco / Leicester City)
Eliesse Ben Seghir (Morocco / AS Monaco)
El Hadji Malick Diouf (Senegal / Slavia Prague)
Lamine Camara (Senegal / AS Monaco)
Amanallah Memmiche (Tunisia / Esperance Sportive de Tunis)
Men’s Club of the Year
Petro Atlético (Angola)
TP Mazembe (DR Congo)
Al Ahly (Egypt)
Zamalek (Egypt)
Dreams FC (Ghana)
RS Berkane (Morocco)
Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
Simba (Tanzania)
Young Africans (Tanzania)
Esperance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia)
Men’s National Team of the Year
Angola
Burkina Faso
Côte d’Ivoire
DR Congo
Morocco
Mozambique
Nigeria
South Africa
Sudan
Uganda
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Key Commentary
The list underscores the increasing influence of African players, coaches and clubs not only on the continent but also in top global competitions.
For Nigeria, the presence of Lookman and Troost-Ekong in the men’s category underlines continuing recognition of Nigerian talent.
Meanwhile, the strong representation of women’s nominees from Nigeria highlights the nation’s ongoing role in women’s African football.
While we have solid data for the 2024 men’s nominees, it’s worth noting that the full 2025 men’s list may yet include new names, and some of the above may carry over.
