The categories for the awards gala that will take place on the 4th of January in Accra next year include African Player of the Year and African Based Player of the Year, Women’s Player of the Year, National Team of the Year (Men & Women), Youth Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Club of the Year and Referee of the Year.


While 2016 African Player of the Year, Riyaad Mahrez misses out, 2015 winner Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang makes the nominee list for a fourth consecutive year. Liverpool duo Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah will also rival each other alongside soon to be Liverpool team-mate, Naby Keita.


The 2016 African Women Footballer of the Year Asisat Oshoala is once more shortlisted and will welcome new competition from South Africa's Thembi Kgatlana.

The winners will be decided by votes from the members of the CAF Technical & Development Committee, CAF Media Experts Panel and Independent Media and TV Consultants.

Meanwhile, only members of the Caf Referees’ Committee will elect the Referee of the Year.

The full list is as follow:

African Player of the Year & Player of the Year

Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso & Olympique Lyon)
Denis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns)
Karim El Ahmadi (Morocco & Feyenoord)
Keita Balde (Senegal & Monaco)
Naby Keita (Guinea & RB Leipzig)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & Borrusia Dortmund)
Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool)
Victor Moses (Nigeria & Chelsea)
Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon & Porto)
Yacine Brahimi (Algeria & Porto)

African Player of the Year & Player of the Year (Based in Africa)

Achraf Bencharki (Morocco and Wydad Athletic Club)
Ahmed Fathi (Egypt and Al Ahly)
Ali Maaloul (Tunisia and Al Ahly)
Aristide Bance (Burkina Faso and El Masry)
Ben Malango (DR Congo and TP Mazembe)
Denis Onyango (Uganda and Mamelodi Sundowns)
Jeremy Brockie (New Zealand and Supersport) Junior Ajayi (Nigeria and Al Ahly)
Mohamed Ounnajem (Morocco and Wydad Athletic Club)
Taha Yassine Khenisssi (Tunisia and Esperance)
Junior Ajayi (Nigeria and Al Ahly)


Women’s Player of the Year

Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria & Dalian Quanjian)
Chrestina Kgatlana (South Africa & UWC Ladies)
Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene(Cameroon & CSKA Moscow)
Rutendo Makore (Zimbabwe & Black Rhinos)
Tabitha Chawinga (Malawi & Kvarnsvedens)

Women’s National Team of the Year

Ghana U-20
Kenya
Nigeria U-20
South Africa
Zimbabwe

Coach of the Year

Gernot Rohr (Nigeria)
Hector Cuper (Egypt)
Hugo Broos (Cameroon)
L'Hussein Amoutta (Wydad Athletic Club)
Mihayo Kazembe (TP Mazembe)

National Team of the Year

Cameroon
Egypt
Mali U-17
Nigeria
Zambia U-20

Club of the Year

Al Ahly
Mbabane Swallows
SuperSport United
TP Mazembe
Wydad Athletic Club

Youth Player of the Year

Eric Ayiah (Ghana & Charity Stars)
Krepin Diatta (Senegal &Sarpsborg)
Luther Singh (South Africa & Braga)
Patson Daka (Zambia & Liefering)
Salam Giddou (Mali & Guidars)

Referee of the Year

Bamlak Tessema (Ethiopia)
Ghead Grisha (Egypt)
Janny Sikazwe (Zambia)
Malang Diedhiou (Senegal)
Mehdi Abid Charef (Algeria)
Papa Bakary Gassama (Gambia)