Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo has been nominated for the Men’s Player of the Year award at the 2026 CAF Awards, following an outstanding year for both club and country that has positioned him among the continent’s elite.
The 26-year-old, who joined Premier League champions Manchester City in January from Bournemouth, recorded 15 goals and eight assists in 42 appearances across club and international football in 2026. He scored 17 goals and provided four assists in 37 Premier League appearances for both clubs combined during the 2025/26 season.
At international level, Semenyo featured in all four of Ghana’s matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the Black Stars reached the Round of 32.
He faces stiff competition for the prestigious honour, with reigning African Player of the Year Achraf Hakimi of Morocco, Senegal’s Sadio Mané and Ismaïla Sarr, Morocco’s Brahim Díaz, DR Congo’s Yoane Wissa, and South Africa’s Teboho Mokoena among the ten-man shortlist.
Semenyo is hoping to become the first Ghanaian to win the Men’s Player of the Year award in the CAF Awards’ modern era, ending a 34-year wait since Abedi Ayew Pele became the first and only Ghanaian to claim the honour in 1992.
The nominations follow a remarkable year for African football, highlighted by the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 and the continent’s record-breaking participation at the FIFA World Cup 2026, where a record ten African countries competed and nine reached the Round of 32.
The shortlist also features nominees across the Goalkeeper, Interclub Player, Coach, Young Player, National Team and Club of the Year categories. South Africa’s Ronwen Williams, who captained Mamelodi Sundowns to the Champions League title, is among the favourites for Goalkeeper of the Year, while Sundowns’ Miguel Cardoso and USM Alger’s Lamine N’Diaye are nominated for Coach of the Year.
Ghana’s Caleb Yirenkyi has also been shortlisted for the Young Player of the Year award, alongside Algeria’s Ibrahim Maza, Cameroon’s Christian Kofane and Morocco’s Abdellah Ouazane, following his breakthrough performances for the Black Stars at the World Cup.
The CAF Awards 2026 ceremony will take place in Lagos, Nigeria, on Monday, December 7, 2026, bringing together Africa’s leading football personalities to celebrate outstanding achievements at club and international level.
ere are the full lists of nominees for the Men’s categories at the CAF Awards 2026:
CAF Men’s Player of the Year
Amad Diallo (Côte d’Ivoire/Manchester United)
Yoane Wissa (DR Congo/Newcastle United)
Antoine Semenyo (Ghana/Manchester City)
Ismael Saibari (Morocco/Bayern Munich)
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/Paris Saint-Germain)
Brahim Diaz (Morocco/Real Madrid)
Ismaila Sarr (Senegal/Crystal Palace)
Pape Gueye (Senegal/Villarreal)
Sadio Mané (Senegal/Al-Nassr)
Teboho Mokoena (South Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns)
Credit: graphic.com.gh
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