These Are the Finalists for the 2024 CAF Awards

Leading the pack of nominees is last year's finalist Achraf Hakimi, who played a pivotal role in Morocco’s first Olympic medal in football. The current favorite for the award is Ademola Lookman, hero of Atalanta’s Europa League final win this summer and a major contributor to Nigeria’s run to winning silver at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in January. He has continued to strengthen his case for the award with a strong start to the season for his Italian club side, scoring 8 goals and registering 5 assists in 13 matches across the Italian Serie A and the UEFA Champions League.

Completing the list are Simon Adingra, an integral part of the Ivorian team’s AFCON triumph in January, Guinean striker Serhou Guirassy — who had a sizzling season in the German league with Stuttgart, scoring 28 goals in the same number of games — and South African Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, who is also a finalist for the men’s Goalkeeper of the Year award and the Interclub Player of the Year award.

In addition Williams, Côte d'Ivoire’s Yahia Fofana and Cameroon’s Andre Onana are also looking to clinch the men's Goalkeeper of the Year award.

In the women's category, Zambia's Barbra Banda, Morocco's Sanaâ Mssoudy, Nigeria's Chiamaka Nnadozie, and will be looking to take over from Asisat Oshoala as the Player of the Year (Women) on Monday night in Marrakech.

This year, Banda made history by becoming the first women's player to score three hat-tricks at the Olympics. She was also recently named BBC's Women's Footballer of the Year. Mssoudy led her team AS FAR to the CAF Women's Champions League final this year, and snagged the Best Player award at the end of the competition. Nnadozie, the only goalie on the list was named Goalkeeper of the Season in the 2023/24 season of France's Division 1 Féminine league, with her team, Paris FC finishing third.

Andile Dlamini (South Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns) and Khadija Er-Rmichi (Morocco/AS FAR) join Nnadozie as finalists for the women's Goalkeeper of the Year award.

The finalists for the men’s Coach of the Year award are AFCON-winning coach, Emerse Fae of Côte d’Ivoire, Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos, and DR Congo’s Sebastien Desabre.

Lamia Boumehdi (TP Mazembe), Ahmed Ramadan (FC Masar), Mohamed Amine Alioua (AS FAR) and Thinasonke Mbuli (University of the Western Cape) are the contenders for the women's Coach of the Year award.

Meanwhile, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa will be hoping to be among the finalists for the men’s National Team of the Year award. The finalists are the same for the women's category, except that Côte d’Ivoire is replaced by Morocco.

See the full lists here, here and here.