CAF has unveiled the ten nominees for the 2026 African Player of the Year award. Sadio Mané, Ismaïla Sarr and Pape Gueye represent Senegal; Mohamed Salah is absent for the first time since 2015.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) published, this Wednesday 4 November 2026, the list of the ten players in the running for the African Player of the Year title. Three Senegalese feature on it: Sadio Mané (Al Nassr), Ismaïla Sarr (Crystal Palace) and Pape Gueye (Villarreal), according to the media outlets Marca, wiwsport and FilGoal.
Senegal and Morocco each have three representatives, making them the best-represented nations, according to wiwsport. The CAF Awards 2026 ceremony will be held on Monday 7 December in Lagos, Nigeria, as reported by Al Masry Al Youm and wiwsport.
The Senegalese trio in contention
Sadio Mané, already a two-time winner in 2019 and 2022, could claim a third award. Such a reward would allow him to move ahead of El Hadji Diouf, crowned in 2001 and 2002, according to wiwsport.
Ismaïla Sarr, the Crystal Palace forward, and Pape Gueye, the Villarreal midfielder, complete the Senegalese delegation alongside the Al Nassr forward.
Hakimi, the favourite according to the press
Achraf Hakimi, the PSG and Morocco full-back and captain, winner of the previous edition, is made favourite by Marca and Al Mountakhab. This status is explained in particular by the Champions League he won last season with the Paris club.
Brahim Díaz (Real Madrid) and Ismaël Saibari (Bayern Munich) also feature among the nominees, like Hakimi, both of them Moroccan. The other contenders are Amad Diallo (Manchester United, Ivory Coast), Yoane Wissa (Newcastle, DR Congo), Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City, Ghana) and Teboho Mokoena (Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa).
Salah, a notable absence
Mohamed Salah does not appear on the list, a first since 2015, according to FilGoal. The Egyptian forward of Trabzonspor had been nominated every year from 2016 until last year and was crowned in 2017 and 2018.
The name of the winner will be revealed at the ceremony on Monday 7 December in Lagos.