Nigeria midfielder Awawu Bashiru has been named Player of the Match after scoring twice in the Flamingos‘ 3-1 victory over Brazil to secure a place in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup final, Made In Africa Sport reports.

The Flamingos became the first African team to reach the final of the competition after Wednesday’s semi-final victory in Morocco, with Bashiru scoring twice after coming on as a substitute.

Her second-half contribution helped Nigeria eliminate the previously unbeaten Brazilians and reach their first final since the tournament began in 2008.

Bashiru extends Flamingos’ lead

Nigeria struggled to break down Brazil’s defence in the first half, with neither side finding the net before the interval.

The Flamingos eventually broke the deadlock in the 56th minute when Queen Joseph converted a pass from Oluwakemi Adegbuyi to give Nigeria the lead.

Bashiru doubled their advantage in the 71st minute, finishing off an assist from Joseph to put the Flamingos in control.

The midfielder struck again nine minutes later, completing her brace after receiving a pass from Oluebube Umejiaku to make it 3-0.

Brazil reduced the deficit through Greise Kelly in the 89th minute, but Nigeria maintained their two-goal advantage to secure a 3-1 victory and book their place in the final.

Awawu Bashiru: Flamingos’ impact substitute

Bashiru has become an attacking option for coach Akeem Busari, with her ability to influence matches after coming off the bench adding another dimension to Nigeria’s attack.

Her performance against Brazil underlined that contribution, as she scored twice after her introduction to help the Flamingos secure their first appearance in a FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup final.

The midfielder celebrated her second goal with the ‘night-night’ gesture popularised by NBA star Stephen Curry. The celebration, in which she mimicked falling asleep, quickly attracted attention on social media.

Bashiru’s two goals also took centre stage in Nigeria’s victory over a Brazilian side that had not lost a match in the tournament before the semi-final.

The Flamingos are now one win away from becoming the first African nation to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Nigeria will face Japan in Saturday’s final, with both teams seeking their first title in the competition.

The final is scheduled for 7 November at the Mohammed VI Football Complex, Pitch 3, in Rabat, Morocco.

The post Two-goal heroine Awawu Bashiru named Player of the Match after Brazil elimination appeared first on Made In Africa Sport.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) released the men’s categories nominees’ shortlist for the 2026 CAF Awards, with notable players like Achraf Hakimi, Yan Diomande, and Sadio Mané appearing in various categories.

CAF officially released the men’s nominees on Wednesday, November 4, following the release of the women’s category, which was released the day before.

The 10-man shortlist was announced for the 2026 Men’s African Player of the Year award alongside other key men’s categories.

Similar to the women’s category, no Nigerian player made the final 10-man shortlist for the Player of the Year award.

There are 10 nominees selected in each of the seven men’s categories for the awards ceremony, which will take place in Lagos, Nigeria, on Monday, 07 December.

Achraf Hakimi headlines star-studded list

The race for Africa’s most prestigious award features exceptional players from different countries.

Reigning Men’s African Player of the Year, Achraf Hakimi has yet again been nominated for the category after his contribution for club and country across the 2025/26 season.

Hakimi will be defending his crown after an exceptional season with Paris Saint-Germain, helping them secure another UEFA Champions League title for the second year in a row.

Senegal’s two-time award winner, Sadio Mané, also received a nomination for his impact for Saudi side Al Nassr and his contribution to Senegal’s 2026 Africa Cup of Nations title in January alongside nominee Papa Gueye.

Premier League stars like Ghana’s Antoine Semenyo and Amad Diallo are included in the list for their contributions across the Premier League and AFCON tournament.
Also nominated is South Africa’s Teboho Mokoena, who plays for Mamelodi Sundowns and led them to their historic second TotalEnergies CAF Champions League title in May 2026.

Other nominees in this category include DR Congo‘s Yoane Wissa, Morocco‘s Brahim Diaz and Ismael Saibari, and Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr.

https://www.cafonline.com/news/hakimi-mane-semenyo-and-brahim-diaz-headline-star-studded-mens-nominations-for-caf-awards-2026/

 Vozinha gets nominated for Goalkeeper of the year

Cabo Verde’s veteran goalkeeper who made waves at the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, Josimar José Évora Dias ‘Vozinha ‘, has received a nomination for the goalkeeper of the year category.
Vozinha earns recognition following his country’s historic FIFA World Cup debut.

South Africa’s Ronwen Williams is among the prominent contenders after captaining Mamelodi Sundowns to their second TotalEnergies CAF Champions League title in May 2026.

Morocco’s Yassine Bonou remains a leading contender after his performances for the national team, including two penalty saves against Nigeria in the semi-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025.

Morocco’s Yassine Bonou and Senegal’s Edouard Mendy, who both play in the Saudi Pro League, are also recognized for their AFCON contributions.

To complete the 10-man list are Algeria‘s Oussama Benbot, Côte d’Ivoire’s Yahia Fofana, DR Congo’s Lionel Mpasi, Egypt’s El-Mahdi Soliman and Mostafa Shobeir, and Morocco’s Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti.

Yan Diomande leads Young Player of the Year category

The Men’s Young Player of the Year award highlights ten emerging footballers who have announced themselves at the highest levels of club and international competition.

In the young players’ award category, Real Madrid and Côte d’Ivoire’s Yan Diomande leads the nominee charge alongside international teammate, Christ Inao.

The outstanding youngsters shortlist includes Ghana’s Caleb Yirenkyi, Morocco’s Abdellah Ouazane and Ayoub Bouaddi, Algeria’s Ibrahim Maza and Cameroon‘s Christian Kofane, Egypt’s Hamza Abdelkarim and Mali’s Ismael Kamissoko.

Senegal’s Ibrahim Mbaye completes the shortlist following his progress in European football.

Other award categories include Interclub Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, National Team of the Year, and Club of the Year.

The prestigious awards ceremony will take place in Lagos, Nigeria, on Monday, 07 December 2026, bringing together Africa’s leading football personalities to celebrate outstanding achievements at club and international level.

The post Osimhen, Lookman omitted as CAF unveils men’s award nominees appeared first on Made In Africa Sport.

FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup: Flamingos ready to make World Cup final history against Brazil

Nigeria‘s Flamingos will face the formidable Brazil team on Wednesday, November 4, in the semi-final of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

The match is scheduled for 7:00 pm Nigerian time at the Mohammed VI Football Complex – Pitch 3 in Rabat, Morocco.

Brazil come into this encounter as an undefeated side in the tournament so far, reaching their second consecutive semi-final.

The victorious side of this encounter will get to play in the World Cup Final while the defeated team will play a third-place match to compete for a Bronze medal.

 Flamingos target historic World Cup final appearance

The Flamingos booked their place in the semi-final after securing a win against the Venezuelan side on Sunday through Azeezat Oduntan’s penalty goal in the 89th minute.

Speaking with FIFA correspondents ahead of the encounter, Flamingos head coach Akeem Busari expressed his excitement at reaching the stage of the tournament, he said.

“Reaching the semi-finals is a dream come true for me and a great achievement. I’m looking forward to it because I want to make my country proud,” he added.

“We want to give our best in the next match and show everyone what we can do,” Busari said.

Striker Oluebube Umejiaku and midfielder Mary Dunstan will be critical in breaking down the Brazilian defense, while captain Azeezat Oduntan the hero of the quarterfinal penalty will anchor the backline alongside tournament standouts like Kanyinsola Rodiat Yusuf.

The brilliance of goalkeeper Jane Ijirigho, who has made 16 saves in the tournament, will be key against Brazil.

 “We plan to find ways to hurt Nigeria.” – Rilany, Brazil coach

Brazil’s head coach, Rilany Silva, has openly acknowledged that she anticipates an incredibly tough and highly physical test from the African giants.

“I’m expecting an extremely difficult match. Nigeria are a very physical team,” she said.

“By the 90th minute, they’ll probably still be running as if it were the fifth. We’ll need to be very strategic with our game plan to find ways to hurt Nigeria,” Rilany said.

Brazil enters the match undefeated and possesses a lethal attack spearheaded by Greise Kelly, who leads her side with 3 goals and 5 assists.

Kelly has contributed to eight of the Seleção’s 17 goals, including a tournament-high five assists, while spellbinding defences with her exceptional dribbling.

 Brazil and Nigeria’s routes to the semi-finals

Brazil remain undefeated in this campaign with a rollercoaster 6-2 win over Canada to set the tone for their campaign, an enthralling 3-3 draw with Ghana, and a resounding 3-0 win against Norway to secure qualification from the group stage.
They recorded another 3-3 draw against Poland in the tournament’s Round of 16.

Rilany’s side then found themselves behind against China PR, but rallied with two goals after the break to make it to a second successive semi-final.

Nigeria fell to defeat in their opener, losing 2-1 to Poland, which left Akeem Busari‘s side with a battle to keep their knockout hopes alive.

They downed Puerto Rico 2-0 to get back on track, before their tournament-shaking victory over DPR Korea saw them soar into the second round.

Mexico were dispatched in the last 16, with Venezuela next to fall thanks to an 89th-minute Azeezat Oduntan penalty.

History awaits the Flamingos

Despite both teams reaching the semi-finals in previous editions, neither has made it to the final.

A victory will propel Nigeria into their first-ever FIFA U-17 World Cup final, shattering their previous tournament record.
Nigeria will be hoping not to be on the losing side of this semi-final and finish better than their 2022 bronze finish.

The post FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup: Flamingos eye historic first U-17 World Cup final against Brazil appeared first on Made In Africa Sport.