Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman are not among the nominees for the 2026 CAF Men's Player of the Year award. The Confederation of African Football released the shortlist on Wednesday, according to Daily Post Nigeria, which described the absence of the two Nigerians as a surprise.
What the two Nigerians did at AFCON
Both forwards were important for the Super Eagles at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where Nigeria ended in third place, the report says.
Lookman, per the same report, got three goals and four assists across six games for Nigeria at the tournament. That return also got him into the AFCON Team of the Tournament.
Osimhen topped Nigeria's scoring chart at the competition with four goals, and he added two assists, according to Daily Post Nigeria.
Who made the list
Senegal and Morocco have the most names on the list, three each. For Senegal the nominees are Sadio Mané, Ismaïla Sarr and Pape Gueye. Morocco's trio is Achraf Hakimi, Brahim Díaz and Ismaël Saibari.
The remaining names are Amad Diallo of Ivory Coast, Yoane Wissa of DR Congo, Antoine Semenyo of Ghana and Teboho Mokoena of South Africa.
The source does not say how the shortlist was compiled, and it carries no reaction from either player, the Nigeria Football Federation or CAF on the omissions.
