CAF announced on Wednesday the list of nominees for the 2026 CAF Awards. Morocco is the best-represented nation with 16 nominations, including full-back Achraf Hakimi (PSG) and attacking midfielder Brahim Díaz (Real Madrid) for the Player of the Year title.
According to Nigeria Soccer Net, Morocco has 16 nominations across all categories, making it the best-represented nation. CAF announced the list of nominees on Wednesday, covering among others the Player of the Year, Interclub Player, Club, Goalkeeper, Coach, Young Player and National Team of the Year titles (Ghana Soccer Net).
No winner is known yet: the ceremony will be held on 7 December 2026 in Lagos, Nigeria, where the winners will be revealed.
Three Moroccans in contention for the top title
Achraf Hakimi, full-back for PSG and the Morocco national team, and Brahim Díaz, attacking midfielder for Real Madrid, are among the three Moroccan players nominated for the Player of the Year title, alongside Ismael Saibari, according to Africa Soccer. Their presence in this category illustrates the depth of Morocco’s talent pool.
Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who plays for Al-Hilal, is not nominated in that category. He is, however, among the nominees for the Goalkeeper of the Year title, alongside Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti (Nigeria Soccer Net).
A Moroccan wave across all categories
Three Moroccan players are nominated for Interclub Player of the Year: Mohamed Rabie Hrimat, Mounir Chouiar and Sofiane El Moudane (Africa Soccer). On the collective side, Moroccan clubs are also in the spotlight: AS FAR, OC Safi and RS Berkane are in the running for the Club of the Year title (Ghana Soccer Net).
On the bench, two Moroccan coaches are among the nominees for Coach of the Year: Mohamed Ouahbi and Walid Regragui, head coach of the Morocco national team, according to Africa Soccer. Among the young talents, Abdellah Ouazane and Ayyoub Bouaddi represent Morocco for the Young Player of the Year title (Ghana Soccer Net). Finally, the Morocco national team itself is nominated for the National Team of the Year title (Nigeria Soccer Net).
Morocco ahead of Egypt, five countries dominate
With 16 nominations, Morocco is clearly ahead of the other nations. Egypt is the second best-represented nation with nine nominations, almost half of Morocco’s total (Africa Soccer). In particular, it has El-Mahdi Soliman and Mostafa Shobeir among the nominees for Goalkeeper of the Year.
Five countries account for 45 of the 70 nominations, around two-thirds of the total (Ghana Soccer Net).