Ajibade And Okoronkwo Nominated For CAF Women’s Player Of The Year Award

Super Falcons stars Rasheedat Ajibade and Esther Okoronkwo have been nominated for the 2025 CAF Women’s Player of the Year Award.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) released the list of 10 nominees on Friday, featuring both Nigerian players among Africa’s top performers.

Rasheedat Ajibade, who captained the Super Falcons to their record 10th WAFCON title, was named Player of the Tournament and won Woman of the Match in three of Nigeria’s six games during the competition.

Esther Okoronkwo also played a crucial role in Nigeria’s victory by scoring two goals and providing four assists in the tournament. She was voted Woman of the Match in the final after contributing a goal and an assist.

Other notable names on the shortlist include Zambia’s Barbara Banda and Racheal Kundananji, as well as Malawi’s Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga.

In other categories, both the Super Falcons and Flamingos made the shortlist for Women’s National Team of the Year, highlighting Nigeria’s dominance in African women’s football.

Moshood Shakirat is among the contenders for Best Young Player, while Bankole Olowookere of the Flamingos and Justine Madu of the Super Falcons are nominated for Women’s Coach of the Year.

The 2025 CAF Awards Gala is scheduled to take place in Marrakech, Morocco, though the exact date of the ceremony has not yet been confirmed.

KanyiDaily recalls that Rasheedat Ajibade and Esther Okoronkwo were recently among the 21 players invited for Nigeria’s 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifier against Benin Republic.