CAF Awards 2026: Three Nigerian Players Earn Nominations as Lagos Hosts Ceremony

Three Nigerian footballers, Christiana Uzoma, Oluwakemi Adegbuyi and Janet Akekoromowei, have earned nominations for the 2026 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards following impressive performances for their respective clubs and national teams.

CAF announced the nominees on Tuesday, November 3, ahead of the awards ceremony scheduled to take place on December 7 in Lagos, Nigeria.

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Uzoma secured a nomination in the Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year category, while Adegbuyi and Akekoromowei made the 10-player shortlist for the Women’s Young Player of the Year award.

Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, the Super Falcons, also received a nomination for the Women’s National Team of the Year category.

However, the nomination comes despite their disappointing campaign at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), where their title defence ended with a 1-0 quarter-final defeat to eventual champions Cameroon.

The defeat also ended Nigeria’s hopes of securing qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Uzoma, 17, earned recognition following her impressive performances for Edo Queens and Nigeria’s youth national teams.

She played an important role for Edo Queens in the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) and the WAFU-B Women’s Champions League qualifiers before captaining the Falconets at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.

She assumed the captaincy after regular skipper Joy Igbokwe missed the competition due to visa issues.

Her performances also earned her a maiden invitation to the senior Super Falcons squad for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic qualifiers.

Uzoma will compete for the goalkeeper award against Cameroon’s Michaely Bihina, Morocco’s Khadija Er-Rmichi, South Africa’s Andile Dlamini and Ghana’s Cynthia Konlan.

Bihina previously won the Golden Glove award at the 2026 WAFCON.

Meanwhile, Nigeria will have two representatives in the Women’s Young Player of the Year category.

Adegbuyi, 16, enjoyed an impressive 2025/26 season with FC Robo, scoring 11 goals and winning the NWFL Player of the Season award as well as the Super Six Most Valuable Player honour.

She also emerged as the Most Valuable Player at the WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup in Yamoussoukro.

The youngster was recently released from the Super Falcons camp to join the Flamingos ahead of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

Akekoromowei, 18, earned her nomination following outstanding performances for Portuguese club SL Benfica and the Falconets, where she established herself as a prolific goalscorer.

She has also received an invitation to the Super Falcons squad for their Olympic qualifying fixtures against Comoros.

CAF disclosed that winners across the various categories will be determined through votes from its Technical Committee, selected media representatives, national team captains and coaches.

The nominations highlight Nigeria’s growing presence in African women’s football and provide another opportunity for the country’s emerging talents to gain continental recognition.

Newsworld | Henryrich Ojo