CAF Awards 2025: South African quartet make final shortlist

South African players and club have made the final shortlist for the CAF Player of the Year Awards ahead of the gala in Morocco on Wednesday November 19.

Three South African players are among those in the final three in different categories for the awards starting with U20 star Tylon Smith who has made the final shortlist for the CAF Young Player of the Year Award.

Smith, who was named Player of the Tournament as Amajita won their first-ever U20 AFCON, has made it to the final three alongside Abdellah Ouazane and Othmane Maama both from Morocco.

The defender’s good performances at the U20 AFCON also saw him seal a deal to English Championship club Queens Park Rangers.

Who else made the final shortlist?

Meanwhile, Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Ronwen Williams is in line for his second Africa Goalkeeper of the Year Award after winning it last year.

Williams, who played a key role as Bafana Bafana qualified for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2026 World Cup and also helped Mamelodi Sundowns to another PSL title and CAF Champions League final, is shortlisted alongside Morocco’s Yassine Bonnou and Munir Mohamedi of Al Hilal and RS Berkane respectively.

Banyana Banyana goalkeeper Andile Dlamini is also shortlisted for the women’s equivalent and she is up against WAFCON-winning Nigerian shot-stopper Chiamaka Nnadozie and Morocco’s Khadija Er-Rmichi.

The South African finalists do not end with the players as Mamelodi Sundowns have also made the final shortlist as they are among the three sides in the Club of the Year category alongside Moroccan champions RS Berkane, who also won the CAF Confederation Cup last season, as well as CAF Champions League winners Pyramids FC from Egypt.