No Super Falcons player on CAF Player of the Year shortlist for the first time

For the first time since the award was created in 2001, no Super Falcons player has been shortlisted for the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) Women's Player of the Year.

The shortlists for the 2026 CAF Women's Awards were announced on Tuesday, November 3. The winners will be revealed at a ceremony in Lagos on December 7.

Nigeria's nominations

Nigeria still has four nominations across three categories:

• Women's National Team of the Year: the Super Falcons, alongside nine other countries, including 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) champions Cameroon and runners-up Malawi.
• Women's Goalkeeper of the Year: Christiana Uzoma, nominated for her performances at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Poland. Her rivals include Cameroon's Michaely Bihina, who won the Golden Glove at WAFCON 2026.
• Women's Young Player of the Year: Falconets striker Janet Akekoromowei and Flamingos forward Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, who was named Player of the Season in Nigeria's women's league after scoring 11 goals.

The big omission

The absence from the main award is a striking moment for Nigerian football. Super Falcons players have dominated the CAF women's awards for much of their history, with Asisat Oshoala alone winning Player of the Year a record six times.

Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, who won the Goalkeeper of the Year award three years running, was also missing from the shortlists.

The omission reflects a difficult year. The Super Falcons failed to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup after a disappointing 2026 WAFCON campaign, the first time they will miss a Women's World Cup.

Signs of hope

The nominations for Adegbuyi and Akekoromowei point to a new generation. Adegbuyi is part of the Flamingos squad that has reached the semi-finals of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Morocco, where they face Brazil on Wednesday.

For Nigerian fans, a strong showing by the youth teams will be the best answer to this year's disappointment, and a home ceremony in Lagos will add to the pressure on the national federation to rebuild the senior team.