Rabat set for spotlight as CAF Awards reveal Africa’s best

The Confederation of African Football will crown the continent’s top performers on Wednesday evening when the 2025 CAF Awards take place in Rabat, Morocco.

The ceremony begins at 7:00pm local time (6:00pm GMT), with the African Player of the Year prize closing the night.

Viewers across the world can follow the event live on the CAF TV YouTube channel.

Achraf Hakimi, Mohamed Salah and Victor Osimhen headline the shortlist for the African Ballon d’Or, with the Paris Saint-Germain defender widely regarded as the frontrunner.

Having been instrumental in PSG’s historic quintuple and delivering pivotal moments — including the opening strike in the Champions League final — Hakimi enters the ceremony as the strong favourite to succeed Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman.

Mohamed Salah is expected to mount the most serious challenge.

The Egyptian forward finished fourth in the France Football Ballon d’Or rankings, two places ahead of Hakimi, and produced another prolific campaign for Liverpool.

However, the Reds’ early exit from the Champions League at the hands of Hakimi’s PSG may weigh against him as the votes are tallied.

Victor Osimhen completes the trio of contenders.

After a difficult final season at Napoli, the Nigerian striker rediscovered his scoring touch at Galatasaray and returned to prominence.

Should he place third, it would remain a commendable achievement for the 2023 winner in a highly competitive field.

Beyond the headline award, the ceremony will showcase 14 categories in total — seven in men’s football and seven in women’s.

Morocco is strongly represented, particularly in the women’s Player of the Year race, where Ghizlane Chebbak and Sanaâ Mssoudy are shortlisted alongside Nigeria’s Rasheedat Ajibade.

The men’s category finalists reflect a broad spread of talent across the continent.

Fiston Mayele, Mohamed Chibi and Oussama Lamlioui feature in contention for Interclub Player of the Year.

The coaching category pits Cape Verde’s Bubista against Moroccan duo Mohamed Ouahbi and Walid Regragui.

In the Young Player category, Abdellah Ouazzane, Othman Maamma and Tylon Smith battle for recognition.

Goalkeeping excellence will be decided between Munir Mohamedi, Yassine Bounou and Ronwen Williams.

National Team of the Year is a contest between Cape Verde A, Morocco A and Morocco U20, while Pyramids, RS Berkane and Mamelodi Sundowns compete for Club of the Year.

The 2025 CAF Awards promise a night of celebration, anticipation and continental pride as African football’s finest await their moment on stage.