The Super Eagles of Nigeria have been nominated for the prestigious National Team of the Year award at the 2024 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards.
Their consistent form, highlighted by a crucial victory over Libya, has placed them among Africa’s elite national teams.
In the post by CAF on Thursday via X (formerly Twitter), in-form striker Victor Boniface and reigning titleholder Victor Osimhen were notably absent from the final selection.
Meanwhile, forward Ademola Lookman and defender William Troost-Ekong are both contenders for the 2024 CAF Player of the Year award, recognizing their standout performances.
The duo will battle Achraf Hakimi of Morocco, Simon Adingra of Cote d’Ivoire, and Serhou Guirassy of Guinea for the most coveted individual prize for male footballers on the continent.
Lookman was the standout performer in Atalanta’s UEFA Europa League triumph last season, netting a hat-trick in the final against Bayer Leverkusen.
The 27-year-old winger also made an impact for Nigeria, scoring three goals in seven appearances at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
At the 2023 AFCON, Troost-Ekong was named the tournament’s best player, scoring three goals and leading Nigeria to a second-place finish.
Also, Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali was shortlisted for the CAF Goalkeeper of the Year award, reflecting his crucial role in Nigeria’s defensive successes.
These nominations come on the heels of Nigeria’s remarkable achievements at the 2023 CAF Awards, where Victor Osimhen was crowned CAF Men’s Player of the Year after an outstanding season, and Chiamaka Nnadozie took home the Best Female Goalkeeper award.
Nigerian football icon Asisat Oshoala also secured her fifth CAF Women’s Player of the Year title, further cementing the nation’s dominance in African football.
The CAF Awards ceremony will take place in Marrakech, Morocco, on 16 December.
See the full list of nominations below;
Men’s national team of the year
Angola
Burkina Faso
Ivory Coast
DR Congo
Morocco
Mozambique
Nigeria
South Africa
Sudan
Uganda
Men’s Young Player of the Year
Carlos Baleba
Karim Konaté
Oumar Diakite
Yankuba Minteh
Abdul Aziz Issah
Bilal El Khannouss
Eliesse Ben Seghir
El Hadji Malick Diouf
Lamine Camara
Amanallah Memmiche
Men’s Interclub Player of the Year
Oussama Benbot
Issoufou Dayo
Ahmed Sayed ‘Zizo’
Hussein El Shahat
Mostafa Shobeir
Abdul Aziz Issah
John Antwi
Amanallah Memmiche
Yassine Meriah
Ronwen Williams
Men’s Player of the Year
Ademola Lookman
Amine Gouiri
Achraf Hakimi
Chancel Mbemba
Ronwen Williams
Sehoru Guirassy
Simon Adingra
Soufinane Rahimi
William Troost-Ekoong
Men’s Club of the Year
Petro Luanda
TP Mazembe
Al Ahly
Zamalek
Dreams FC
RS Berkane
Mamelodi Sundowns
Simba SC
Yanga
Esperance de Tunis
Coach of the Year
Pedro Gonçalves (Angola)
Brahima Traore (Burkina Faso)
Emerse Faé (Côte d’Ivoire)
José Gomes (Zamalek)
Marcel Koller (Al Ahly)
Chiquinho (Mozambique)
Hugo Broos (South Africa)
Florent Ibenge (Al Hilal)
Kwesi Appiah (Sudan)
