Nigeria has earned nominations in three of the four remaining women’s categories at the 2026 CAF Awards, with Edo Queens goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma, youth internationals Seimeyeha Janet Akekoromowei and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, and the Super Falcons included in the lists released by the Confederation of African Football.
Key takeaways
- Uzoma has been shortlisted for the Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year prize.
- Akekoromowei and Adegbuyi give Nigeria two contenders for Women’s Young Player of the Year.
- The Super Falcons are nominees for Women’s National Team of the Year despite their WAFCON disappointment.
- No Nigerian made the 10-player shortlist for Women’s Player of the Year.
- The 2026 CAF Awards will take place in Lagos on December 7.
Nigerian nominees in three categories
Uzoma will contest the goalkeeper award alongside Chloe N’Gazi of Algeria, Cameroon’s Michaely Bihina, Ghanaian Cynthia Konlan, Malawi’s Mercy Sikelo, Mali’s Fatoumata Karantao, Morocco’s Khadija Er-Rmichi, Senegal’s Adji Ndiaye, South Africa’s Kaylin Swart and Zambia’s Hazel Nali.
Nigeria has two players in contention for the Women’s Young Player of the Year honour. Benfica and Falconets player Akekoromowei is nominated alongside Robo Queens and Flamingos prospect Adegbuyi. Their rivals are Romaine Gandonou, Maëva Nyanidjo, Grace-Ruth Sery, N’Sira Ouédraogo, Rose Kadzere, Kautar Azraf, Adji Ndiaye and Winfrida Gerald.
The Super Falcons have also been named among the candidates for Women’s National Team of the Year, even though they did not lift the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title. Nigeria will compete with Algeria, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Morocco and South Africa.
Major omissions from player award shortlist
The nominations also brought a notable blow for Nigeria in the leading individual category, as no Nigerian footballer was selected for Women’s Player of the Year despite the country’s long record of success in African women’s football.
Super Falcons skipper Rasheedat Ajibade and former African Women’s Player of the Year Asisat Oshoala were left out of the 10-player list. Chiamaka Nnadozie, who had won the goalkeeper award in each of the last three editions, was also unexpectedly absent from her category.
Those exclusions stand out given Nigeria’s record haul of 10 WAFCON crowns and its enduring stature in the women’s game on the continent. However, they could reflect the Falcons’ poor campaign at the most recent WAFCON, where they did not make the semi-finals and, as a result, failed to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time.
The Women’s Player of the Year field includes representatives of seven African nations. Cameroon has the highest number of candidates, with Marie Ngah Manga, Michaely Bihina and Monique Ngock selected after the country’s strong showing at the 2026 WAFCON. Malawi is represented by sisters Tabitha Chawinga and Temwa Chawinga.
The rest of the nominees are Algeria’s Marine Dafeur, Ghana’s Portia Boakye, Morocco’s Hanane Ait El Haj, South Africa’s Thembi Kgatlana and Zambia captain Barbra Banda.
Temwa Chawinga, who finished as the 2026 WAFCON’s top scorer with five goals, is expected to be among the principal contenders. Banda and Ngah Manga also made major impacts during the tournament, while Ngock’s performances earned her recognition on the shortlist.
The 2026 CAF Awards ceremony is set to be staged in Lagos on December 7.
