CAF Awards 2026: Hakimi in contention, Diomandé absent despite 13 goals and €125m transfer

The CAF has published its list of ten finalists for African Player of the Year, which will be awarded at the CAF Awards on December 7 in Lagos. Achraf Hakimi, the defending champion, is among the nominees, along with two other Moroccan internationals and three Senegalese players.

Beyond Hakimi, the PSG full-back and captain of Morocco crowned African champions in 2025, the list includes his compatriots Ismael Saibari and Brahim Diaz. On the Senegalese side, Ismaïla Sarr, Pape Gueye and Sadio Mané are in contention. Amad Diallo (Côte d’Ivoire), Yoan Wissa (DR Congo), Antoine Semenyo (Ghana) and Teboho Mokoena (South Africa) complete the field.

The selection has nonetheless sparked considerable bewilderment in African football circles: Yan Diomandé is absent. The Ivorian winger, who will only be 20 on November 14, delivered an outstanding 2025-26 season with Leipzig — 13 goals and 10 assists across all competitions — before shining at the 2026 World Cup with Côte d’Ivoire, then being signed by Real Madrid for €125 million.

Diomandé will have to settle for a nomination for African Young Player of the Year, where he will face Ibrahim Maza, the Algerian attacking midfielder from Leverkusen, among others. The latter, whose level at the 2026 World Cup was judged superior to that of several players on the main list, could also have claimed a place among the ten finalists according to many observers. Ayyoub Bouaddi and Ibrahim Mbaye are also among the ten nominees for Young Player of the Year.