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Rabat – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the nominees for the 2025 Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year awards, celebrating the continent’s best performers.
This year’s list has the names that you would expect, as well the established stars who still shine brightly, but there are also a few surprises – players who pushed through for an opportunity after having impressive seasons.
With a busy calendar year on the horizon, the 2025 CAF Awards will put on display excellence in the game, recognizing men and women players who elevated the continent into a higher football echelon.
Men’s Player of the Year
- André Frank Zambo Anguissa (Cameroon / Napoli)
- Fiston Mayele (DR Congo / Pyramids)
- Mohamed Salah (Egypt / Liverpool)
- Denis Bouanga (Gabon / Los Angeles FC)
- Serhou Guirassy (Guinea / Borussia Dortmund)
- Achraf Hakimi (Morocco / PSG)
- Oussama Lamlioui (Morocco / RS Berkane)
- Victor Osimhen (Nigeria / Galatasaray)
- Iliman Ndiaye (Senegal / Everton)
- Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal / Tottenham Hotspur)
Women’s Player of the Year
- Portia Boakye (Ghana)
- Tabitha Chawinga (Malawi)
- Temwa Chawinga (Malawi)
- Ghizlane Chebbak (Morocco)
- Mama Diop (Senegal)
- Rasheedat Ajibade (Nigeria)
- Esther Okoronkwo (Nigeria)
- Sanaa Mssoudy (Morocco)
- Barbra Banda (Zambia)
- Racheal Kundananji (Zambia)
For this award, club performance in Europe or major leagues carries significant weight, but national-team contribution remains a vital consideration in the CAF selection process as well. Also, according to CAF, the window of evaluation for this year’s awards is from the January 6 to the October 15 2025.
Winners will be chosen through a bit of a messy democratic process, with the technical committee weighing in alongside the coaches and captains from the national teams, and a handful of media reps for good measure.
And it’s looking like this year’s men’s player of the year is going to be a real cliffhanger with Mohamed Salah, Hakimi and Victor Osimhen all in the running as they’ve all been consistently producing good performances.
On the other hand, the women’s award is turning out to be a great showcase for the progress that’s been made in women’s football in Africa and it’s gradually becoming competitive.
There are the brilliant Chawinga sisters from Malawi and then there’s Zambia’s star striker, who’s throwing her hat into the ring and if the whispers are to be believed, those are the players who have the highest chance of winning.
According to reports, the CAF Awards 2025 ceremony is likely to be held in Morocco, specifically Marrakech, for the third year running. The country’s on a real roll with hosting big continental events and shows no signs of slowing down.
