Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman have been overlooked for the 2026 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Men’s Player of the Year award, while Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle has also failed to make the shortlist for the Men’s Coach of the Year category.

CAF announced the nominees on Wednesday, November 4, with 10 players shortlisted for the continent’s most prestigious individual football honour and another 10 coaches selected for the coaching award, blueprint reports.

The absence of the Nigerian trio comes after an eventful year in which the Super Eagles enjoyed some notable moments but also suffered a major setback by failing to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Although Osimhen and Lookman delivered impressive performances at club level and during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco, Nigeria’s failure to reach the World Cup meant they missed an opportunity to showcase their talents at the biggest international football tournament.

The development is particularly significant given that Osimhen won the African Player of the Year award in 2023, while Lookman claimed the honour in 2024.

Hakimi, Mané, Semenyo headline 10-man shortlist

Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, who won the 2025 CAF Men’s Player of the Year award, has been nominated again as he seeks to retain his continental crown.

He faces competition from nine other players, including former African Footballer of the Year Sadio Mané of Senegal and Ghanaian forward Antoine Semenyo.

Morocco and Senegal dominate the shortlist with three representatives each.

Hakimi is joined by compatriots Brahim Díaz and Ismaël Saibari, while Senegal’s nominees are Mané, Ismaïla Sarr and Pape Gueye.

Other shortlisted players are Côte d’Ivoire’s Amad Diallo, DR Congo’s Yoane Wissa, Ghana’s Semenyo and South Africa’s Teboho Mokoena.

The 10 nominees are:

Amad Diallo (Côte d’Ivoire)

Yoane Wissa (DR Congo)

Antoine Semenyo (Ghana)

Ismaël Saibari (Morocco)

Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)

Brahim Díaz (Morocco)

Ismaïla Sarr (Senegal)

Pape Gueye (Senegal)

Sadio Mané (Senegal)

Teboho Mokoena (South Africa)

CAF’s announcement highlighted the nominees’ achievements in domestic leagues, continental competitions and international tournaments, particularly the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Osimhen’s goals, Lookman’s contributions fail to earn nominations

Osimhen’s omission is notable considering his contributions to Galatasaray and the Super Eagles during the assessment period.

The Nigerian striker continued to establish himself as one of the leading attacking players in European football, delivering important goals for the Turkish champions in domestic and continental competitions.

According to available 2025/26 season statistics, Osimhen recorded 15 goals and five assists in the Turkish Super Lig, alongside seven goals and two assists in the UEFA Champions League.

He also played a crucial role in Nigeria’s 2025 AFCON campaign, finishing as the Super Eagles’ leading scorer with four goals and two assists.

Lookman equally made significant contributions for Nigeria in Morocco, scoring three goals and providing four assists in six appearances.

His performances earned him a place in the AFCON Team of the Tournament, further underlining his importance to the national team.

The former Atalanta forward had also established himself as one of Africa’s most influential attacking players following his performances in European competitions.

However, neither player’s club achievements nor their contributions to Nigeria’s AFCON campaign were enough to secure a place among the 10 nominees.

Nigeria’s World Cup failure raises questions

One major factor that shaped Nigeria’s international football year was the failure of the Super Eagles to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Despite having established international stars, including Osimhen, Lookman, Alex Iwobi and Wilfred Ndidi, Nigeria struggled throughout the African qualifying campaign and eventually lost their opportunity to reach the tournament.

The Super Eagles finished behind South Africa in their qualifying group and had to pursue the remaining qualification route through the African play-offs.

They defeated Gabon 4-1 after extra time in the semi-final, with Akor Adams opening the scoring before Chidera Ejuke and Osimhen, who scored twice, completed the victory.

However, their hopes ended against DR Congo in the decisive encounter in Rabat.

Nigeria initially took the lead through Frank Onyeka but conceded an equaliser from Meschack Elia.

After 120 minutes, the encounter ended 1-1, with DR Congo winning 4-3 on penalties to advance to the intercontinental play-offs.

The defeat condemned Nigeria to missing a second consecutive World Cup after also failing to qualify for the 2022 edition in Qatar.

It was a major disappointment for a country that has traditionally been among Africa’s leading football nations.

The absence also meant that Nigerian players had no opportunity to compete at the 2026 tournament, unlike several of their continental counterparts whose performances on the global stage strengthened their cases for individual recognition.

AFCON bronze medal offers consolation

Despite the disappointment of missing the World Cup, Nigeria enjoyed a relatively successful outing at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

The Super Eagles reached the semi-finals after progressing through the group stage and defeating Mozambique and Algeria in the knockout rounds.

They eventually lost to hosts Morocco on penalties following a goalless draw after extra time.

Nigeria recovered to defeat Egypt in the third-place match, also through a penalty shootout, to secure the bronze medal.

Osimhen and Lookman were among the team’s influential performers throughout the tournament.

Their contributions demonstrated that Nigeria remained competitive at continental level, even though the team could not reach the final.

However, the third-place finish did not carry the same international exposure as competing at the World Cup, where several of the nominated players represented their countries.

Chelle also misses out after mixed Super Eagles campaign

Chelle’s absence from the Men’s Coach of the Year shortlist follows a mixed period in charge of the Super Eagles.

Appointed in January 2025, the Franco-Malian tactician was given the responsibility of reviving Nigeria’s World Cup qualification campaign after a difficult start under previous managers.

He made considerable progress in some areas, leading Nigeria to the 2025 AFCON bronze medal and improving the team’s attacking performances.

However, his inability to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup remains a major setback in assessing his tenure.

Nigeria reached the African play-off final under his leadership but lost to DR Congo on penalties after failing to protect their early advantage.

The subsequent AFCON campaign provided some redemption, as the Super Eagles won five matches and finished third after reaching the semi-finals.

Nevertheless, Chelle’s achievements were not enough to earn him a place among the 10 coaches shortlisted by CAF.

Morocco, Senegal dominate coaching nominations

The Men’s Coach of the Year shortlist features 10 tacticians who distinguished themselves in international and continental club competitions.

Among them are Senegal’s Pape Thiaw, Morocco’s Walid Regragui and Mohamed Ouahbi, DR Congo’s Sébastien Desabre and Egypt’s Hossam Hassan.

Other nominees include Miguel Cardoso of Mamelodi Sundowns, Lamine N’Diaye of USM Alger, Alexandre Santos of AS FAR and Moatamed Gamal of Zamalek.

Cabo Verde coach Pedro Leitão Brito, popularly known as Bubista, also earned recognition after guiding his country to its historic first FIFA World Cup appearance.

Cardoso’s nomination follows his success with Mamelodi Sundowns, who won the CAF Champions League in May 2026 after defeating Morocco’s AS FAR 2-1 on aggregate.

N’Diaye also secured continental silverware after leading USM Alger to the CAF Confederation Cup title.

The full Men’s Coach of the Year nominees are:

Lamine N’Diaye (USM Alger)

Pedro Leitão Brito ‘Bubista’ (Cabo Verde)

Sébastien Desabre (DR Congo)

Hossam Hassan (Egypt)

Moatamed Gamal (Zamalek)

Alexandre Santos (AS FAR)

Mohamed Ouahbi (Morocco)

Walid Regragui (Morocco)

Pape Thiaw (Senegal)

Miguel Cardoso (Mamelodi Sundowns)

World Cup performances influence CAF nominations

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has featured prominently in CAF’s assessment of the nominees, with several African countries making significant progress at the tournament.

Morocco continued its impressive run on the global stage, while Senegal, Ghana, DR Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and debutants Cabo Verde also represented the continent.

Morocco’s Hakimi, Díaz and Saibari benefited from the country’s strong international performances, while Senegal’s Mané, Sarr and Gueye also featured prominently in the awards conversation.

Cabo Verde’s historic qualification and World Cup participation also earned its coach, Bubista, a place among the nominees.

The contrast with Nigeria’s absence from the tournament provides an important backdrop to the omission of its leading players and national team coach.

Lagos to host 2026 CAF Awards

The 2026 CAF Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place in Lagos, Nigeria, on December 7.

The event will bring together leading African footballers, coaches, administrators and other stakeholders to celebrate outstanding achievements in the continental game.

The awards will recognise performances across seven men’s categories, including Player of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, Interclub Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Young Player of the Year, National Team of the Year and Club of the Year.

For Nigeria, hosting the ceremony without Osimhen, Lookman and Chelle featuring in the major men’s individual shortlists represents a disappointing development.

While the two forwards demonstrated their individual quality at club level and during AFCON, the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the World Cup remains one of the major setbacks surrounding Nigerian football during the awards cycle.