Williams And Smith Shortlisted For 2025 CAF Awards
Ronwen Williams and Tylon Smith have made the final cut for the 2025 CAF Awards, which will take place in Morocco later this month.
Williams, who walked away with two accolades at last year’s ceremony, has once again been shortlisted for CAF Goalkeeper of the Year, while Smith has been nominated for Young Player of the Year.
The Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana shot-stopper, widely regarded as one of the continent’s best, won both CAF Goalkeeper of the Year and CAF Player of the Year (Based in Africa) in 2024.
This year, Williams will compete for the goalkeeper award against Munir Mohamedi (Morocco / RS Berkane) and Yassine Bonou (Morocco / Al Hilal).
His nomination follows an outstanding season in which he helped Sundowns reach the CAF Champions League final—where they narrowly lost to Pyramids—and also guided Bafana Bafana to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 2002, as well as the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, set to take place in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026.
Meanwhile, Smith played a key role in helping Amajita win the CAF U20 Tournament, where he was also named Player of the Tournament in May.
The former Stellenbosch FC defender will contest the Young Player of the Year title with Abdellah Ouazane (Morocco / Ajax) and Othmane Maamma (Morocco / Watford).
Mamelodi Sundowns have also been nominated for CAF Club of the Year, alongside Pyramids and RS Berkane.
In the CAF Footballer of the Season category, the finalists are Mohamed Salah (Egypt / Liverpool), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco / Paris Saint-Germain), and Victor Osimhen (Nigeria / Galatasaray).
Hakimi is widely regarded as the frontrunner after helping PSG win the UEFA Champions League last season and reach the FIFA Club World Cup final, where they narrowly lost to Chelsea.
Other notable categories include:
- Interclub Player of the Year: Fiston Mayele (DR Congo / Pyramids), Mohamed Chibi (Morocco / Pyramids), Oussama Lamlioui (Morocco / RS Berkane)
- Coach of the Year: Bubista (Cape Verde), Mohamed Ouahbi (Morocco U-20), Walid Regragui (Morocco)
- National Team of the Year: Cape Verde, Morocco, Morocco U-20
The prestigious ceremony will be held in Rabat, Morocco, on 19 November 2025 from 19h00 local time (18h00 GMT), celebrating the exceptional performances and achievements that have defined African football this year.
