Tambours FC forward Romaine Gandonou, 15, is among the ten nominees for the CAF Awards 2026 African Young Player of the Year title. Capped by Benin, she is the only Beninese player named on the list. The winner will be revealed on 7 December in Lagos.
Benin has a nomination at the CAF Awards 2026. Romaine Gandonou, a 15-year-old forward playing for Tambours FC, is among the group of ten players shortlisted for the African Young Player of the Year title, according to MercatoMinute. The winner’s name will be unveiled on 7 December 2026 in Lagos, dailysports.net reports.
For a player of that age, the nomination goes beyond the national frame: it puts a Beninese footballer on a continental list. The attacking performances that have brought her to prominence began with a brace scored at the U20 World Cup, according to Dongqiudi.
A brace against Mexico
On 5 September, in Benin’s opening match of the competition, Romaine Gandonou scored twice against Mexico. Trailing 0-2, the Benin national team came back to 2-2 thanks to her goals in the 56th minute, from the penalty spot, and in the 87th.
Across the 2026 U20 World Cup, the Beninese player scored three goals in three matches, again according to Dongqiudi. A run that is bound to attract attention, even if the nomination does not pre-judge the final result.
Figures still to be verified
Dongqiudi also reports 14 goals scored in U20 Women’s World Cup qualifying and 11 goals in U17 World Cup qualifying. These figures come from a single outlet in this case and deserve to be cited with caution. If confirmed, they sketch the profile of a striker already prolific at youth level.
They are not enough to measure her lead over her rivals, and the case file contains no interim ranking.
Romaine Gandonou is not the only contender for the title. Dongqiudi names Rose Kadzere, Kautar Azraf, Adji Ndiaye and Winfrida Gerald among her rivals, which makes the competition a real one.
The date: 7 December
For Benin, the presence of a Tambours FC forward on this list is already a signal: it suggests that Beninese women’s football can produce players capable of rising to continental level while still in their teens.
The verdict will come on 7 December 2026 in Lagos, at the CAF Awards, where the African Young Player of the Year will be announced.