Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie retained Africa’s Best Goalkeeper of the Year award for the third year on the night Morocco’s duo of Achraf Hakimi and Ghizlane Chebbak claimed CAF’s Men and Women’s Players of the Year Awards in Rabat on Wednesday.

Super Falcons also emerged Women’s National Team of the Year despite the failures of Victor Osimhen and Rasheedat Ajibade in the men and women’s top honours.

Paris Saint-Germain right-back Hakimi was named Men’s Player of the Year after a sensational 2025 in which he won the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, French Ligue 1, Coupe de France and reached the final of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

He also helped Morocco qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and is the first defender to be named Africa’s best player since former TP Mazembe centre-back Bwanga Tshimen in 1973, and first Moroccan since Mustapha Hadji in 1998.

Chebbak has been a model of consistency for club and country in 2025 and was the leading scorer at the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in July, where Morocco finished runners-up to Nigeria.

She moved from AS FAR to Saudi club Al-Hilal ahead of the 2025/26 season, where she is a teammate of six-time CAF Women’s Player of the Year Asisat Oshoala.

It was almost a clean sweep for Morocco as Doha El Madani retained the CAF Women’s Young Player of the Year award while Morocco’s Under-20 team were named Men’s National Team of the Year after winning the FIFA Under-20 World Cup 2025.

Nigeria’s Super Falcons were the Women’s National Team of the Year following their TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON Morocco 2024 success, earning the honour for a second straight year.

The star-studded ceremony was attended by players, coaches and Legends from across the continent and beyond, in a celebration of excellence in African football as the game continues to make major strides on the international stage.