South African football will have a strong presence at the 2026 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards, with Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Teboho Mokoena earning a nomination for the prestigious Men’s Player of the Year award.
Mokoena is among 10 footballers shortlisted for Africa’s most coveted individual football honour following the unveiling of the nominees by CAF on Wednesday, 4 November.
The Bafana Bafana international faces competition from some of the continent’s biggest football stars, including reigning African Player of the Year Achraf Hakimi of Morocco, Senegalese forward Sadio Mané, Ghanaian striker Antoine Semenyo and Manchester United’s Ivorian attacker Amad Diallo.
The complete list of nominees for the 2026 CAF Men’s Player of the Year award is:
- Amad Diallo (Côte d’Ivoire/Manchester United)
- Yoane Wissa (DR Congo/Newcastle United)
- Antoine Semenyo (Ghana/Manchester City)
- Ismael Saibari (Morocco/Bayern Munich)
- Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/Paris Saint-Germain)
- Brahim Diaz (Morocco/Real Madrid)
- Ismaila Sarr (Senegal/Crystal Palace)
- Pape Gueye (Senegal/Villarreal)
- Sadio Mané (Senegal/Al-Nassr)
- Teboho Mokoena (South Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns).
Mokoena’s inclusion is recognition of his influence at both club and international level, particularly his contribution to Mamelodi Sundowns’ successful 2025/26 CAF Champions League campaign.
The midfielder played an important role in helping the Brazilians secure their second continental title, scoring a crucial goal in the second leg of the final against Morocco’s AS FAR as Sundowns claimed a 2-1 aggregate victory.
South Africa’s representation is further strengthened by Bafana Bafana and Sundowns captain Ronwen Williams, who has been nominated for the Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year award.
Williams is among 10 goalkeepers competing for the accolade following another impressive campaign in which he played a decisive role in Sundowns’ continental success.
The South African contingent also includes Sundowns defender Khuliso Mudau, nominated for Men’s Interclub Player of the Year, while coach Miguel Cardoso is among the contenders for Men’s Coach of the Year.
Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana have also received nominations in the Club of the Year and National Team of the Year categories respectively.
Lagos prepares for African football’s biggest celebration
The 2026 CAF Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, 2 December, in Lagos, Nigeria, bringing forward one of the most prestigious events on the African sporting calendar.
The ceremony will begin at 19h00 local time (20h00 Cairo time and 18h00 GMT).
The awards return to Lagos for the first time since the 2014 edition, with Nigeria’s largest city set to host an evening celebrating African football’s achievements, cultural heritage, music and entertainment.
The event will be staged at the iconic Professor Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Arts, formerly known as the National Theatre.
The 2026 edition will recognise excellence across 18 categories, with the Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year awards taking centre stage.
