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CAF Awards
CAF Awards 2026: Diomandé, Bouaddi and Maza among 10 nominees for African Young Player of the Year
CAF announced the 10 nominees for the 2026 African Young Player of the Year on 4 November. The winner will be revealed on 7 December in Lagos.
📍 Your country in the race
Senegal is counting on Ibrahim Mbaye (Aston Villa), who scored against France at the World Cup aged 18.
📍 Your country in the race
Morocco have two nominees: Ayyoub Bouaddi (Manchester City), one of the favourites, and Abdellah Ouazane (Ajax).
📍 Your country in the race
Côte d'Ivoire have two nominees: Yan Diomandé (Real Madrid), one of the favourites, and Christ Inao Oulaï (Fiorentina).
📍 Your country in the race
Algeria are counting on Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen), ninth in the Kopa Trophy and one of the three favourites.
📍 Your country in the race
Cameroon are represented by Christian Kofane (Bayer Leverkusen).
📍 Your country in the race
Egypt are represented by Hamza Abdelkarim (FC Barcelona).
📍 Your country in the race
Ghana are represented by Caleb Yirenkyi (Coventry City).
📍 Your country in the race
Mali are represented by Ismaël Kamissoko (Étoiles du Mandé), the only nominee playing in Africa.
Nine countries are represented on a shortlist drawn from the Kopa Trophy rankings published a week earlier. The winner will succeed Morocco's Othmane Maamma.
The 10 nominees
| # | Player | Country | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yan Diomandé | Côte d'Ivoire | Real Madrid |
| 2 | Ayyoub Bouaddi | Morocco | Manchester City |
| 3 | Ibrahim Maza | Algeria | Bayer Leverkusen |
| 4 | Abdellah Ouazane | Morocco | Ajax |
| 5 | Ibrahim Mbaye | Senegal | Aston Villa |
| 6 | Christian Kofane | Cameroon | Bayer Leverkusen |
| 7 | Christ Inao Oulaï | Côte d'Ivoire | Fiorentina |
| 8 | Hamza Abdelkarim | Egypt | FC Barcelona |
| 9 | Caleb Yirenkyi | Ghana | Coventry City |
| 10 | Ismaël Kamissoko | Mali | Étoiles du Mandé |
The three favourites
Yan Diomandé (Côte d'Ivoire, Real Madrid) has established himself at Real Madrid and is already making an impact in LaLiga and the Champions League. He finished fifth in the Kopa Trophy.
Ayyoub Bouaddi (Morocco, Manchester City) played 5 games and 384 minutes at the World Cup as Morocco reached the quarter-finals. He finished sixth in the Kopa Trophy.
Ibrahim Maza (Algeria, Bayer Leverkusen) has become increasingly important for Algeria. Ninth in the Kopa Trophy, he was ranked third by Lionel Messi in his vote.
The other nominees
Ibrahim Mbaye (Senegal), 18, joined Aston Villa in September. He became the youngest African scorer in World Cup history with his goal against France on 16 June. Christian Kofane (Cameroon) plays for Leverkusen, Hamza Abdelkarim (Egypt) for FC Barcelona, Abdellah Ouazane (Morocco) for Ajax, Christ Inao Oulaï (Côte d'Ivoire) for Fiorentina and Caleb Yirenkyi (Ghana) for Coventry. Ismaël Kamissoko (Mali, Étoiles du Mandé) is the only nominee playing in Africa.
Our prediction
We see the award going to one of Yan Diomandé, Ayyoub Bouaddi or Ibrahim Maza. We will know on 7 December 2026 in Lagos.
The first five on the list
- Yan Diomandé-Côte d'Ivoire
- Ayyoub Bouaddi-Maroc
- Ibrahim Maza-Algérie
- Ibrahim Mbaye-Sénégal
- Christian Kofane-Cameroun
Follow these young stars' games live, with their statistics: