Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen, has been nominated for the 2025 CAF Men’s African Player of the Year award.

The Nigerian forward is among ten top footballers shortlisted for the prestigious honour in a list released by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Wednesday.

Other nominees include Mohamed Salah of Egypt, Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi and Oussama Lamlioui, as well as Seyrou Guirassy of Guinea. Also on the list are Fiston Mayele of Congo, Frank Anguissa of Cameroon, Denis Bouanga of Gabon, and the Senegalese duo Illmane Ndiaye and Pape Sarr.

Osimhen, who clinched the award in 2023, was instrumental in Galatasaray’s league triumph last season, scoring 26 goals to help the club secure the title. His outstanding form prompted Galatasaray to sign him permanently from Napoli in a record €75 million deal, the most expensive in Turkish football history.

The striker also played a vital role in Nigeria’s qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup playoffs, netting six goals in as many matches for the Super Eagles.

In other categories, Stanley Nwabali was nominated for the Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year, competing against Yassine Bounou, Ronwen Williams, and Andre Onana.

Similarly, Daniel Bameyi, captain of the Flying Eagles, made the shortlist for the Men’s Young Player of the Year award.

Last week, Rasheedat Ajibade and Esther Okoronkwo of the Super Falcons were also announced among the contenders for the CAF Women’s Player of the Year honour.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles will face Gabon in the semi-finals of the African section of the 2026 FIFA World Cup play-offs following the conclusion of the qualifying group stage on Tuesday.

The Eagles secured their place in the play-offs with a convincing 4–0 victory over Benin Republic earlier in the day. Gabon clinched the second spot in Group F after defeating Burundi 2–0, while Ivory Coast topped the group with a win against Kenya.

Elsewhere, DR Congo advanced after a narrow 1–0 victory over Sudan to finish second in Group B behind Senegal, while Cameroon joined the line-up as runners-up in Group D behind Cape Verde.

The play-offs, which feature the four best runners-up from Africa’s nine qualifying groups, will be staged in Morocco from November 13 to 16.

Nigeria, expected to remain the highest-ranked team among the four sides when FIFA releases its updated rankings on October 23, will take on the lowest-ranked opponent — Gabon. Cameroon and DR Congo will contest the other semi-final fixture.

Both semi-final matches are scheduled for November 13, with the winners meeting three days later in a one-leg final. The overall winner will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs in March 2026 for a chance to secure a place at the World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

All matches will be decided in single-leg format, and in the event of a draw after 90 minutes, extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shoot-out will determine the winner.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will announce the specific venue for the mini-tournament later. The play-offs give Africa an additional route to qualification in the expanded 48-team World Cup format.

So far, all nine African group winners have qualified directly for next year’s tournament, while the upcoming play-offs will determine whether the continent secures one more spot via the inter-continental route.

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have booked their place in the Round of 16 at the ongoing 24th FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, after holding Colombia to a 1-1 draw in the early hours of Monday.

The seven-time African champions put up a spirited display at the Estadio Fiscal de Talca, with goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt producing vital saves in the 23rd and 26th minutes to deny the South Americans during a tense first-half battle.

Despite Colombia’s early dominance, the Flying Eagles looked more adventurous going forward. The trio of Tahir Maigana, Kparobo Arierhi, and Suleman Sani consistently unsettled the Colombian backline, hitting the woodwork on several occasions.

Colombia eventually opened the scoring in the 51st minute when Kener Gonzalez converted from a precise assist by Neyser Villareal.

Unfazed by the setback, the Nigerians maintained their attacking intensity. Defender Odinaka Okoro almost restored parity with a powerful header in the 76th minute that narrowly missed target.

Their persistence finally yielded results in the 86th minute. Captain Daniel Bameyi stepped up to calmly slot home from the penalty spot after a Colombian defender was penalised for handling Maigana’s goal-bound effort.

The Flying Eagles nearly snatched victory in the closing minutes, but Arierhi’s 89th-minute strike was blocked inside the box.

With the draw, Nigeria progressed to the next stage where they will face hosts Argentina at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martinez Pradanos in Santiago on Wednesday. The fixture is a repeat of their quarter-final clash at the last U-20 World Cup in Argentina, where the Flying Eagles secured a 2–0 win in San Juan.

Meanwhile, Colombia will square off against South Africa in their own Round of 16 tie, while Norway will battle Paraguay in another knockout fixture.