CAF unveiled the ten nominees for the 2026 Best Young African Player award on Wednesday 4 November. Among them are Yan Diomandé (Real Madrid, Ivory Coast), Ayoub Bouaddi (Manchester City, Morocco) and Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen, Algeria).
The title of Best Young Male Player of the Year 2026 will be awarded at the CAF Awards on Monday 7 December in Lagos, Nigeria. Until then, the list of ten nominees, revealed by Dailysports, brings together players from eight countries.
Three names stand out: Moroccan midfielder Ayoub Bouaddi, Ivorian winger Yan Diomandé and Algerian attacking midfielder Ibrahim Maza. All three also feature in the Kopa Trophy rankings, making them the most visible markers of this selection.
The full list of ten nominees
Besides these three players, CAF has selected Christian Kofane (Bayer Leverkusen, Cameroon), Christ Inao (Ivory Coast), Hamza Abdelkarim (Egypt), Caleb Yirenkyi (Ghana), Ismaël Kamissoko (Mali), Abdellah Ouazane (Morocco) and Ibrahim Mbaye (Aston Villa, Senegal), according to Dailysports. Morocco and Ivory Coast each have two players; Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Mali and Senegal have one each.
In the Kopa Trophy, Bouaddi, an 18-year-old midfielder, finished sixth, ahead of Ibrahim Maza in ninth. Diomandé took fifth place, according to Afrik-foot. Bouaddi therefore finishes three places ahead of Maza, and Diomandé one place ahead of Bouaddi.
Bouaddi, the World Cup as an argument
The Moroccan’s case is not limited to the Kopa. According to Afrik-foot, Bouaddi played the 2026 World Cup with Morocco until the quarter-finals, with five appearances and 384 minutes of playing time.
Maza’s argument is of a different nature: Lionel Messi placed him third in his vote for the Kopa Trophy, again according to Afrik-foot.
Mbaye and Kofane, two other profiles
Ibrahim Mbaye, an 18-year-old Aston Villa forward, represents Senegal in this selection. Christian Kofane plays for Bayer Leverkusen, like Maza, and defends the colours of Cameroon.
The winner will succeed Othmane Maamma, reports Footmercato. The date is set for Lagos on 7 December 2026 for the trophy presentation.