Ghana midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi has been nominated for the Men’s Young Player of the Year award at the 2026 CAF Awards following a breakthrough year for club and country.
The 20-year-old is among 10 nominees for the continental honour, with Algeria’s Ibrahim Maza, Cameroon’s Christian Kofane, Côte d’Ivoire’s Christ Inao and Yan Diomande, Egypt’s Hamza Abdelkarim, Morocco’s Ayoub Bouadi and Abdellah Ouazane, Mali’s Ismaël Kamissoko and Ibrahim Mbaye from Senegal completing the shortlist.
Yirenkyi enjoyed an outstanding 2025/26 campaign with Danish side FC Nordsjælland, earning the club’s Player of the Season award before being named the Danish Superliga Young Player of the Year.
His performances attracted significant interest, culminating in a reported €30 million transfer to Coventry City in August, making him one of Ghana’s most expensive football exports.
The midfielder also made a major impression on the international stage, scoring Ghana’s winning goal in their 1-0 World Cup opening victory over Panama in June. Yirenkyi struck in the fifth minute of stoppage time to secure three points for the Black Stars, becoming the second-youngest Ghanaian to score at a World Cup.
He featured in all four of Ghana’s matches at the tournament, which saw the team progress from Group L before losing 1-0 to Colombia in the Round of 32.
Yirenkyi’s nomination adds to a remarkable year for the midfielder, whose rapid rise has established him as one of Ghana’s most promising young footballers.
The 2026 CAF Awards will be held in Lagos, Nigeria, on 7th December, with winners recognising outstanding performances across African football.
