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| Victor Osimhen after Galatasaray’s Champions League match against Liverpool on 30 September 2025. File photograph. Ottomanor / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. |
Former Nigeria Football Association chairman Kojo Williams has said Nigeria’s recent international results leave it with little basis for challenging the absence of its players from the 2026 CAF men’s and women’s Player of the Year shortlists.
Williams pointed to the national teams’ performances when assessing the selections, although he also suggested that competition from other players and the leagues in which they play could have affected Victor Osimhen’s chances.
Speaking on ThePlayzone Podcast, in remarks reported by AllNigeriaSoccer, Williams said the omissions reflected Nigeria’s record over the preceding year.
“It won’t be fair to me to say that I am surprised, but it all has to do with our performances, what we’ve done in the last year,” Mr Williams said.
“So if we’re not doing the right thing, of course, they won’t pick us. Did we qualify for the World Cup? We didn’t win the AFCON. You cannot fault that,” he stated.
The Super Eagles missed the 2026 World Cup after losing the African qualifying play-off final to DR Congo on penalties. They subsequently finished third at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, beating Egypt in another shoot-out in January 2026.
The Super Falcons also failed to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil. Their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign ended in the quarter-finals, followed by a 2–1 defeat to South Africa in a play-off for entry into the intercontinental qualifying tournament. The results ended Nigeria’s record of appearing at every Women’s World Cup since 1991.
CAF’s men’s nominations, announced on 4 November, comprise Amad Diallo, Yoane Wissa, Antoine Semenyo, Ismaël Saibari, Achraf Hakimi, Brahim Díaz, Ismaïla Sarr, Pape Gueye, Sadio Mané and Teboho Mokoena.
No Nigerian features in that category or the main women’s individual award. CAF’s announcements recognise achievements in both club and international football.
Williams nevertheless acknowledged Osimhen’s achievements. The Galatasaray striker scored four goals at the 2025 AFCON and helped his club retain the Turkish league title. Galatasaray secured the 2025/26 championship with a 4–2 victory over Antalyaspor, in which Osimhen scored twice.
Discussing why those contributions had not secured a nomination, Williams offered his view that considerations beyond individual performances might influence the process.
“You know, sometimes they play politics. Yes, Victor did well in Europe, but you had the other guys from other teams like PSG, and maybe the league he’s playing in,” he said.
He also recalled Osimhen’s previous success at the awards while playing in Italy.
“Yes, he won African Footballer of the Year when he was playing for Napoli. He’s a great player,” he added.
Osimhen won the men’s award in 2023, before Ademola Lookman claimed it in 2024. Other Nigerian recipients include Rashidi Yekini, Emmanuel Amuneke, Nwankwo Kanu and Victor Ikpeba.
Nigeria’s previous women’s winners include Mercy Akide, Perpetua Nkwocha, Cynthia Uwak and Asisat Oshoala.
The country’s absence from the two main player shortlists does not extend to every category. Christiana Uzoma appears among the women’s goalkeeper nominees, while Seimeyeha Janet Akekoromowei and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi feature in the women’s young player category. Nigeria also has a nomination for Women’s National Team of the Year.
CAF has brought the ceremony forward from 7 December to Wednesday, 2 December. It will begin at 7 p.m. Nigerian time at the Professor Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Arts, formerly the National Theatre, in Lagos.
The awards cover 18 categories. Voting runs from 5 to 20 November, with CAF member associations and clubs participating through eligible coaches and captains.