Key Takeaways:
- Achraf Hakimi and Mohamed Salah headline the 10-man shortlist for the 2025 African Footballer of the Year Award
- Last year’s winner Ademola Lookman is not among the nominees, while Victor Osimhen and Iliman Ndiaye make the cut
- CAF has not yet announced the date for the 2025 awards ceremony
CAF Awards 2025: Men’s Categories
Achraf Hakimi and Mohamed Salah have been named among the elite group of ten players shortlisted for the 2025 African Footballer of the Year accolade. Morocco’s right-back Hakimi played a pivotal role in Paris St-Germain’s triumph in the French domestic league and cup, as well as their UEFA Champions League victory last season. Egyptian forward Salah, meanwhile, secured the Premier League Golden Boot after helping Liverpool reclaim the English top-flight title.
Mohamed Salah, Victor Osimhen, Achraf Hakimi, Serhou Guirassy, Fiston Mayele, Frank Anguissa, Denis Bouanga, Oussama Lamlioui, Iliman Ndiaye and Pape Sarr have all been nominated for the 2025 CAF Player of the Year Award. pic.twitter.com/bIWXVtmKkr
— Africa Facts Zone (@AfricaFactsZone) October 22, 2025
The list also features Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye and Tottenham Hotspur’s Pape Matar Sarr, both of whom were instrumental in Senegal’s successful qualification campaign for the 2026 Fifa World Cup. Galatasaray and Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen, who won the award in 2023, is once again in contention.
Other distinguished nominees include Cameroon midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, DR Congo’s Fiston Mayele, Gabonese forward Denis Bouanga, Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, and Moroccan midfielder Oussama Lamlioui.
Mohamed Salah claimed the award in both 2017 and 2018, while Hakimi has finished second in each of the past two editions. Notably, defending champion Ademola Lookman does not appear on this year’s shortlist.
Selection Process and Other Award Categories
The Confederation of African Football appointed a panel of experts to determine nominees across player, coach, and team categories for their “significant impact” between 6 January and 15 October this year. Cape Verde manager Bubista is in the running for Men’s Coach of the Year, having guided the Blue Sharks to their maiden World Cup qualification. The Cape Verde national team is also among ten sides shortlisted for Men’s National Team of the Year, alongside Morocco’s Under-20 World Cup winners.
Full List of Men’s Nominees
| Category | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Men’s Player of the Year | Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Napoli & Cameroon), Denis Bouanga (Los Angeles FC & Gabon), Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund & Guinea), Achraf Hakimi (Paris St-Germain & Morocco), Oussama Lamlioui (Renaissance Berkane), Fiston Mayele (Pyramids & DR Congo), Iliman Ndiaye (Everton & Senegal), Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray & Nigeria), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool & Egypt), Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham Hotspur & Senegal) |
| Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year | Yassine Bounou (Al Hilal & Morocco), Aymen Dahmen (CS Sfaxien & Tunisia), Marc Diouf (TP Mazembe & Senegal), Edouard Mendy (Al-Ahli & Senegal), Munir Mohamedi (RS Berkane & Morocco), Stanley Nwabali (Chippa Utd & Nigeria), Andre Onana (Trabzonspor & Cameroon), Ahmed El Shenawy (Pyramids & Egypt), Vozinha (Chaves & Cape Verde), Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns & South Africa) |
| Men’s Coach of the Year | Bubista (Cape Verde), Moine Chaabani (Renaissance Berkane), Hossam Hassan (Egypt), Krunoslav Jurcic (Pyramids), Mohamed Ouahbi (Morocco U20), Romuald Rakotondrabe (Madagascar), Walid Regragui (Morocco), Tarik Sektioui (Morocco U23), Pape Thiaw (Senegal), Sami Trabelsi (Tunisia) |
| Men’s National Team of the Year | Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Morocco U20, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia |
Ceremony Details Pending
CAF has yet to confirm the date for the 2025 awards ceremony, where Africa’s footballing elite will come together to acknowledge outstanding achievements across players, coaches, and national teams for the review period.
