Achraf Hakimi, the Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco full-back, is among the ten nominees for the 2026 African Player of the Year award unveiled by CAF. The reigning winner is chasing a second consecutive title.
CAF published on Wednesday 4 November the list of ten candidates for the 2026 African Player of the Year award, according to PSG.fr and L’Équipe. Achraf Hakimi, crowned in 2025, features prominently. The Paris full-back is not the only Moroccan on the list: Brahim Díaz and Ismaël Saibari join him, while Senegal supplies three representatives.
The ten nominees represent six countries, from Morocco to South Africa. Between now and the ceremony, they will continue their seasons with club and country, all chasing a single trophy.
A list of ten, three Moroccans
Besides Hakimi, Morocco is represented by two other players: Real Madrid forward Brahim Díaz and Ismaël Saibari, who plays for Bayern, according to MadeInReal. Senegal, for its part, puts forward three names: Ismaïla Sarr (Crystal Palace), Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr) and Pape Gueye (Villarreal).
The list is completed by Amad Diallo (Manchester United/Ivory Coast), Yoane Wissa (Newcastle/DR Congo), Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City/Ghana) and Teboho Mokoena (Mamelodi Sundowns/South Africa), again according to MadeInReal.
Hakimi: a hat-trick and a Champions League
According to PSG.fr and L’Équipe, Hakimi is targeting a second consecutive title after a season marked by Champions League glory and an AFCON final with Morocco.
His recent form is also making headlines: the right-back features in the Ligue 1 team of the week for matchday 9 with the maximum score of 10/10, according to Sofascore via Hespress. He scored a hat-trick against Le Havre (5-1), plus two assists.
Díaz, Mané and the ceremony
Brahim Díaz, also a Morocco international, played 42 matches for Real Madrid last season, according to the Merengues’ official website. The forward also took part in the World Cup with Morocco. He was likewise named in the Ligue 1 team of the week for matchday 9 by Sofascore, cited by Hespress.
On the other side, Sadio Mané, 34, was an AFCON runner-up with Senegal: he scored 2 goals and provided 3 assists in 7 matches, L’Équipe reports. Already a winner of the trophy in 2019 and 2022, the Al-Nassr player is the only nominee to have won the distinction twice.
The list names no favourite: CAF has published only the names of the ten nominees.
The ceremony will be held on Monday 7 December 2026 at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts in Lagos, Nigeria, according to PSG.fr.