Benin striker Romaine Gandonou, 15, who plays for Tambours FC and the Benin Amazons, has been nominated for the CAF Awards 2026 African best young player title, according to Foot-Africa.
At 15, Romaine Gandonou is among the ten finalists for the African best young player of the year award, according to Afrik.com. Foot-Africa confirms her official nomination for the CAF Awards 2026. She had previously been honoured at the Footeuses 229 Trophies, held in late October in Benin, according to Afrik.com.
The player’s statistics measure the scale of her season: top scorer in the U17 World Cup qualifiers with 11 goals in six matches and top scorer in the U20 World Cup qualifiers with 14 goals in six games, according to Foot-Africa. In the league, she was the top scorer of the Benin women’s D1 with 25 goals in ten matches in the colours of Tambours FC, according to 24haubenin.
A season full of goals
Romaine Gandonou’s record is not limited to the domestic league. According to Foot-Africa, she scored four goals in two matches in the 2028 Olympic Games qualifiers. At the 2026 U20 World Cup, she scored three goals in three matches, including a brace against Mexico, and won the Hyundai award for the best goal of the competition thanks to a free kick against Poland, Afrik.com reports.
She was also honoured at the Footeuses 229 Trophies, held in late October in Benin, according to Afrik.com.
Nine rivals on the line
To win the trophy, Romaine Gandonou will have to finish ahead of nine other contenders, whose names were revealed by 24haubenin: Maëva Nyadjou, Grace-Ruth Serv, N’Sira Ouédraogo, Rose Kadzere, Kautar Azraf, Seimeyeha Janet Akekoromowei, Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, Adji Ndiaye and Winfrida Gerald.
The competition looks fierce, but the Benin striker’s profile speaks for itself: 25 goals in ten D1 matches, top scorer in the U17 and U20 qualifiers, and an individual award claimed at the U20 World Cup. All arguments that will weigh in the deliberations, without prejudging the result.
The date in Lagos in December
The CAF Awards 2026 ceremony is announced for Monday 7 December in Lagos, Nigeria, according to Foot-Africa. It is at that evening event that the winner of the African best young player title will be revealed.
Until then, Romaine Gandonou is playing for Tambours FC and the Benin Amazons, two clubs she carries this season according to 24haubenin.