Two Ghanaian players have made the shortlists for Africa’s biggest individual football prizes, with the ceremony set for Lagos in December.
Ghana will have two names to follow when the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the body that governs football on the continent, hands out its 2026 awards in Lagos, Nigeria, on Monday, 7 December.
Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo is on the shortlist for Men's Player of the Year, while 20-year-old midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi is in the running for Young Player of the Year. The nominations were reported by Daily Guide Network.
Semenyo's breakout season
Semenyo, 26, moved from Bournemouth to Manchester City during the winter transfer window and settled quickly at the Etihad Stadium, adding goals and assists for Pep Guardiola's side.
He was part of the City team that won both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, scoring the decisive goal against Chelsea in the FA Cup final. He has also remained a regular part of the Black Stars attack.
The competition in his category is heavy. He is up against Ivory Coast's Amad Diallo, DR Congo's Yoane Wissa, Morocco's Ismael Saibari, Achraf Hakimi and Brahim Diaz, Senegal's Ismaila Sarr, Pape Gueye and Sadio Mane, and South Africa's Teboho Mokoena.
Yirenkyi the only Ghanaian in his bracket
Yirenkyi is the sole Ghanaian among the 10 nominees for Young Player of the Year. He built his reputation at Danish club FC Nordsjaelland before joining English Premier League side Coventry City.
His biggest moment of the year came with the national team. Yirenkyi scored the only goal in Ghana's 1-0 win over Panama at the FIFA World Cup, a result that pushed the Black Stars into the knockout stage for the first time in 16 years.
Others on that shortlist include Algeria's Ibrahim Maza, Cameroon's Christian Kofane, Ivorians Christ Inao and Yan Diomande, Egypt's Hamza Abdelkarim, Ismael Kamissoko, and Moroccans Abdellah Ouazane and Ayoub Bouaddi.
Why it matters
The CAF Awards night is the continent's main platform for recognising players, coaches and teams for the year's work. For Ghana, nominations in two separate categories point to a squad that is producing both established stars and young players breaking into top European leagues.
For Ghanaians in the United States and elsewhere abroad, the Lagos ceremony is one of the few nights when the continent's football story is told in one place, and it comes off the back of a World Cup run that has lifted expectations around the Black Stars.
Winners will be announced at the ceremony on 7 December.
