Candidates for the African Young Player of the Year award 2026

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has revealed the list of players nominated for the Best Young Player award in Africa for 2026, as part of the annual awards organized by the federation.

The nominees for the award include Egyptian Hamza Abdelkarim from FC Barcelona, alongside Real Madrid star Yan Diomande and Manchester City star Bouaddi.

Lagos, Nigeria, will host the CAF Awards 2026, scheduled to take place on Monday, December 7.

The list of nominees is as follows:

Ibrahim Mbaye – Algeria.

Christian Koffani – Cameroon.

Christian Inao – Ivory Coast.

Yan Diomande – Ivory Coast.

Hamza Abdelkarim – Egypt.

Kalb Yernki – Ghana.

Ismail Kamissoko – Mali.

Abdellah Ouazane – Morocco.

Ayyoub Bouaddi – Morocco.

Ibrahim Mbaye – Senegal.