Semenyo makes CAF's 10-man Player of the Year shortlist
The Ghana forward is nominated alongside some of Africa's biggest names. Caleb Yirenkyi also appears on the Young Player of the Year list.
By Ernest · 4 November 2026
Antoine Semenyo is among the ten nominees for CAF's 2026 Men's Player of the Year award. The confederation published its list on 4 November, putting the Ghana forward alongside Achraf Hakimi, Sadio Mané, Brahim Diaz and Amad Diallo.
Recognition among Africa's leading players
CAF lists Semenyo as a Ghana and Manchester City player, recognising his rise in English football and his contribution to the Black Stars. His place on the shortlist is a nomination, not an award win.
The other contenders are Yoane Wissa, Ismael Saibari, Ismaila Sarr, Pape Gueye and Teboho Mokoena. Hakimi, the 2025 winner, is in the running again.
Yirenkyi also earns a nomination
Ghana has another individual name to follow: midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi appears on CAF's ten-player Young Player of the Year list. CAF identifies him with Coventry City.
For supporters at home and abroad, the two nominations offer different reasons to pay attention: recognition for an established attacking player and for an emerging midfielder.
When are the winners announced?
CAF says the awards ceremony will take place in Lagos, Nigeria, on Monday, 7 December 2026. That date appears in both the nominations announcement and the confederation's Executive Committee calendar.
No trophy is being claimed here, and a place on the list does not establish a favourite. Ghana's football supporters now have the nominees and the date to watch.
Sources
- CAF: complete men's nominations, 4 November 2026.
- CAF Executive Committee: awards date and host city.
Checked 4 November 2026. Lead, thumbnail and OG photo adaptations credit Bryan Berlin / WikiPortraits under CC BY-SA 4.0; cropping, text, Kaaklo mark or a blurred self-backdrop added. No endorsement implied. No CAF montage or broadcast footage reproduced.
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