Three African Goalkeepers Nominated For 2026 Ballon d’Or Yashin Trophy

Africa will have three representatives in contention for the 2026 Ballon d’Or Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year award, with Morocco’s Yassine Bounou, Senegal’s Édouard Mendy and Cape Verde’s Vozinha making the 10-man shortlist for the Yashin Trophy.

The nominees were announced by France Football on Tuesday, with the award recognising goalkeeping performances between August 2025 and July 2026, including performances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The three African goalkeepers will compete against Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, Arsenal’s David Raya, Barcelona’s Joan García, Athletic Club’s Unai Simón, Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel, Argentina’s Emiliano Martínez and Matvey Safonov.

Vozinha emerged as one of the standout goalkeepers at the 2026 World Cup, where Cape Verde made its tournament debut.

READ ALSO: Full List: 2025 FIFA Men’s Best Player Nominees

The 40-year-old played a key role in the Blue Sharks’ impressive campaign, producing notable displays against eventual champions Spain and Argentina.

He helped Cape Verde secure a goalless draw against Spain before keeping Argentina at bay for long periods in their Round of 32 clash.

His performance against Argentina forced the encounter into extra time, although Cape Verde eventually lost 3-2.

Vozinha, who captained Cape Verde at the tournament, was later selected for FIFA’s fan-voted World Cup Dream Team.

His World Cup performances also generated significant attention away from the pitch, with his social media following reportedly increasing from fewer than 50,000 before the tournament to almost 29 million.

The goalkeeper entered the World Cup without a club but later joined Chilean giants Colo-Colo several weeks after the tournament.

Bounou, meanwhile, earned his nomination following another strong spell with Al Hilal and the Moroccan national team.

The Atlas Lions goalkeeper, a previous CAF award winner, has remained one of Africa’s leading shot-stoppers and was a key figure in Morocco’s historic run at the 2022 World Cup.

Mendy also secured a place on the shortlist after another notable period at club and international level.

The Senegal international, formerly of Chelsea, is among Africa’s most decorated goalkeepers and has enjoyed success with both club and country.

The nominations of Bounou, Mendy and Vozinha mean Africa accounts for three of the 10 contenders for the prestigious Yashin Trophy.