Football: eight Senegalese in contention for the CAF Awards 2026
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Senego
Eight Senegalese feature among the nominees for the CAF Awards 2026, whose eighteen categories will be presented in Lagos on 2 December. Sadio Mané could become the first Senegalese to win the African Player of the Year title three times, according to Senego citing Lesoleil.sn.
The CAF Awards 2026 will honour the best players in African football across eighteen categories at the ceremony on 2 December in Lagos, according to Le Soleil. Senegal has eight representatives, placing it behind Morocco among the most represented nations.
Forward Sadio Mané, who was already honoured in 2019 and 2022, is among the candidates for African Player of the Year, alongside Ismaïla Sarr and Pape Gueye. He could become the first Senegalese to receive this award three times. Goalkeeper Édouard Mendy is in contention for African Goalkeeper of the Year, and Ibrahim Mbaye for Young Player of the Year. Coaches Pape Thiaw and Lamine Ndiaye are also candidates, according to Xalimasn, and the national team is among the teams nominated for National Team of the Year.
Voting runs from 5 to 20 November and is open to member associations, clubs, and eligible coaches and captains. The Confederation of African Football plans an independent audit of the results. The three Senegalese candidates for the African Ballon d’Or had already been identified in our pages.
