CAF Awards: Bouaddi, Maza and Hamza compete with the Real Madrid star for the best young player title

Fiery battle

CAF have revealed the nominees for Africa's Best Young Player award for 2026, and the shortlist carries a strong Arab presence with four players headlined by Morocco's Ayoub Bouaddi, the Manchester City star.

Joining Bouaddi are Egypt's Hamza Abdelkarim of Barcelona, Morocco's Abdellah Ouazane of Dutch side Ajax, and Algeria's Ibrahim Maza, the Bayer Leverkusen man in Germany.

The Arab quartet will have to see off some of the brightest emerging talents on the continent. Chief among them is Yan Diomande of Real Madrid and the Côte d'Ivoire national team, one of the standout names on the list.

Also in the running are Christian Kofane, the Bayer Leverkusen and Cameroon forward, Christ Inao of Fiorentina and Côte d'Ivoire, and Caleb Yirenkyi of Coventry City and Ghana.

Rounding out the field are Ismaël Camissoko of Étoile Mandé and Mali, plus Ibrahim Mbaye of Aston Villa and Senegal.