According to a report by TheCable on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, Nigeria has suffered an unprecedented omission from the nominees for the 2026 Confederation of African Football Women’s Player of the Year award, with no Super Falcons star included on the shortlist.

The development marks the first time since the women's award was introduced in 2001 that Nigeria has failed to produce a nominee for the continent's leading individual women's football honour.

CAF announced the shortlisted players on Tuesday, with representatives from several African countries featuring in the race for the prestigious prize.

Nigeria's absence comes after a difficult period for the Super Falcons, whose performances at the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations did not meet expectations. The team also failed to secure qualification for the FIFA Women's World Cup, missing the tournament for the first time in its history.

The nominees include Malawi's Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga, who will compete alongside Cameroonian players Marie Ngah Manga, Michaely Bihina and Monique Ngock.

Zambia's Barbra Banda has also been shortlisted, while South Africa's Thembi Kgatlana and Morocco's Hanane Ait El Haj are among the contenders.

Algeria's Marine Dafeur and Ghana's Portia Boakye complete the list of nominees for the women's top individual award. Despite the disappointment in the senior player category, Nigeria still has representation in other sections of the 2026 CAF Awards.

The Super Falcons have been nominated for the Women's National Team of the Year award, giving the country an opportunity to secure continental recognition through the team's collective achievement.

Two Nigerian youngsters, Janet Akekoromowei and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, have also been included among the contenders for the Women's Young Player of the Year award.

At club level, Edo Queens goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma has earned a nomination for the Women's Goalkeeper of the Year category.

The nominations provide Nigerian football with other opportunities to secure recognition at the ceremony, even though no Super Falcons player made the shortlist for the main individual women's prize.

The 2026 CAF Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on December 7 at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts.