The 2026 CAF Awards will take place in Lagos, Nigeria, on Wednesday, 2 December, with reigning winner Achraf Hakimi defending his title against nine other nominees. The 10 candidates represent six national teams. An assessment based on five criteria places the Paris Saint-Germain defender well clear of the field, with a 35% probability of retaining the African Ballon d’Or.
1. Achraf Hakimi – 35%
Hakimi strengthened his case by winning the Champions League with PSG. The Paris club defeated Arsenal on penalties on 30 May, with the Morocco captain converting his spot-kick after choosing to play despite a fitness problem. PSG also won Ligue 1 in 2025/26.
Hakimi started all six of Morocco’s World Cup matches, scoring once and providing two assists before the Atlas Lions lost 2-0 to France in the quarter-finals. Across 38 appearances in all competitions, including the World Cup, he recorded four goals and 11 assists. He also received five yellow cards and one red card during the campaign.
2. Brahim Diaz – 20%
Brahim Diaz’s strongest argument is his contribution to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, where he scored five goals and claimed the Golden Boot. Morocco originally lost the final 1-0 after extra time against Senegal, but CAF declared Morocco winners on 17 March after Senegal’s players left the pitch during the final. The title therefore appears in Diaz’s honours list.
His World Cup was less productive: he scored no goals and managed six shots without one on target. Although Real Madrid provides the highest level of club competition, his figures were less impressive, with two goals and nine assists in 42 appearances in all competitions. He collected three yellow cards.
3. Ismael Saibari – 14%
Saibari’s campaign at PSV Eindhoven earned him a summer move to Bayern Munich. He scored 15 goals and supplied eight assists in 27 Eredivisie matches, contributing to a goal every 93 minutes. He won the league title, the Dutch Super Cup and the award for the division’s best player.
The 25-year-old also scored three times in seven Champions League matches. At the World Cup, his three goals in five games made him one of the tournament’s leading discoveries. He was also part of Morocco’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations-winning squad, playing in every match and scoring against Cameroon.
4. Ismaila Sarr – 9%
Ismaila Sarr was Crystal Palace’s leading scorer in their Europa Conference League triumph, finding the net nine times in 13 matches. He finished 2025/26 with 21 goals and two assists in all competitions and helped Palace win the Community Shield by beating Liverpool.
His European success came in UEFA’s third-tier competition, while Senegal exited the World Cup in the round of 16 against Belgium. The Lions of Teranga did reach the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, and Sarr carried significant responsibility in Palace’s attack throughout the season. He was booked four times.
5. Antoine Semenyo – 7%
Semenyo scored 17 Premier League goals and supplied four assists in 2025/26, including 10 for Bournemouth before his January move to Manchester City. It was a record for a Ghanaian in the competition and he became the first Ghanaian selected in the PFA Team of the Year.
The Black Star was also a finalist for the league’s player of the season award. Ghana lost to Colombia in the World Cup round of 16 and had not qualified for the previous Africa Cup of Nations. His season was nevertheless enhanced by Manchester City’s FA Cup and Carabao Cup victories. The 27-year-old finished 2025/27 with seven yellow cards.
6. Teboho Mokoena – 5%
Mokoena helped Mamelodi Sundowns win the 2025/26 CAF Champions League against AS FAR, scoring the equaliser in the second leg of the final and being named player of the match. He also won the FIFA Africa-Asia-Pacific Cup with the Brazilians.
The 29-year-old midfielder played 41 club matches in all competitions, scoring seven goals and creating two. He received nine yellow cards and one red. South Africa were eliminated by Canada in the World Cup round of 16, although Mokoena scored against Czech Republic. The Bafana Bafana failed to reach the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals.
7. Sadio Mane – 4%
At 34, Mane won the 2025/26 Saudi Arabian title with Al Nassr, his first domestic trophy since joining the club. He contributed 10 goals and six assists in 26 appearances, ending the campaign with 14 goals and nine assists in all competitions.
Senegal suffered the same World Cup round-of-16 exit as Sarr, but Mane was named the best player at the previous Africa Cup of Nations after scoring twice and providing two assists as the Lions of Teranga reached the final.
8. Pape Gueye – 3%
Gueye enjoyed a solid, rather than outstanding, 2025/26 season with Villarreal, making 39 appearances and recording five goals, two assists and 12 yellow cards. His defining moment came in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, when he scored Senegal’s extra-time winner in Rabat. CAF’s subsequent decision removed that goal from the official result.
The 27-year-old’s importance to Senegal lies in his role as a balancing midfielder, although his attacking numbers remain modest. He scored twice and assisted once in the World Cup, including during Senegal’s 5-0 victory over Iraq.
9. Amad Diallo – 2%
Diallo’s nomination comes despite Manchester United’s collective difficulties. The 24-year-old winger won no trophy in 2025/26 but scored four goals and supplied two assists in 32 Premier League appearances.
With Cote d’Ivoire, he scored twice at the World Cup but suffered defeats by Germany and Norway, losing 2-1 to Norway in the round of 16. His Africa Cup of Nations campaign ended in the quarter-finals against Egypt, although he recorded three goals and one assist in the tournament.
10. Yoane Wissa – 1%
Wissa’s first season at Newcastle United, following his September 2025 arrival, produced three goals and two assists in 28 appearances in all competitions. He received four yellow cards. His most notable moment was a Champions League goal, one of his four appearances in the competition.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo lost to England late in their World Cup round-of-16 match, while Wissa scored three goals during the tournament. He missed the previous Africa Cup of Nations because of a serious injury. He won no collective honours during the period, and his statistics offer limited support for his candidacy.
Final ranking: Achraf Hakimi, PSG and Morocco, 35%; Brahim Diaz, Real Madrid and Morocco, 20%; Ismael Saibari, Bayern Munich and Morocco, 14%; Ismaila Sarr, Crystal Palace and Senegal, 9%; Antoine Semenyo, Manchester City and Ghana, 7%; Teboho Mokoena, Mamelodi Sundowns and South Africa, 5%; Sadio Mane, Al Nassr and Senegal, 4%; Pape Gueye, Villarreal and Senegal, 3%; Amad Diallo, Manchester United and Cote d’Ivoire, 2%; Yoane Wissa, Newcastle United and RD Congo, 1%.
