Ademola Lookman, Super Eagles forward, and Chiamaka Nnadozie, Super Falcons goalkeeper, are Nigeria's leading nominees for this year's CAF Awards. Both have advanced to the final shortlist in their respective categories; the awards ceremony is scheduled for Monday in Marrakesh, Morocco.

Nnadozie is in contention for two prestigious awards: the Women’s Player of The Year, where she competes against Morocco’s Sanaa Mssoudy and Zambia’s Babra Banda, and she is also a strong candidate for the Women’s Goalkeeper of The Year, aiming for a consecutive win.

In the men's category, Lookman faces stiff competition from four other nominees in the race for the Men’s Player of The Year Award. The 27-year-old will compete against Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra, PSG’s Achraf Hakimi, Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams.

Both athletes aspire to follow in the footsteps of their fellow countryman, Victor Osimhen, the current holder of the Men’s Player of The Year Award, and Asisat Oshoala, a six-time winner of the women’s accolade.

Additionally, both the Super Eagles and the Super Falcons have been shortlisted for the CAF National Team of the Year awards, with the ceremony approaching at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakech on December 16.

The Super Eagles earned their nomination due to their impressive performance in the AFCON tournament held in Ivory Coast earlier this year, where they advanced from their group, defeating teams such as Cameroon, Angola, and South Africa, before narrowly losing to the hosts in the final. They also topped their group in the qualifying rounds for AFCON 2025.


The year 2024 has not been particularly eventful for the Falcons, who represented their continent at the Olympics but faced defeats against formidable teams such as Brazil, Spain, and Japan during the group stages. In October, they secured a victory over Algeria in a double-header friendly, but concluded the year with a 2-1 loss to France.

In individual accolades, Chiamaka Okwuchukwu, a forward for both the Falconets and Rivers Angels, has been shortlisted as one of the final three candidates for the Women’s Young Player of the Year award, competing against Habiba Sabry from FC Masar and Doha El Madani from Asfar.

Although the Falconets' participation in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup concluded prematurely, Chiamaka's performance was exemplary, with two goals and an assist securing Nigeria's advancement to the round of 16.

Furthermore, Edo Queens, champions of the Nigeria Women's Football League, are nominated for the Women's Club of the Year award, alongside TP Mazembe, winners of the CAF Women's Champions League, and Asfar.