Africa will have three representatives in contention for the 2026 Ballon d’or Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year award after Yassine Bounou, Édouard Mendy and Vozinha were named among the 10 nominees.
Morocco’s Bounou, Senegal’s Mendy and Cape Verde’s Vozinha will compete against some of the biggest names in world football for the prestigious individual award.
Bounou has continued to cement his reputation as one of Africa’s leading goalkeepers with a series of impressive performances for club and country.
The Morocco international was also a key figure for the Atlas Lions at the World Cup in North America, helping them reach the quarterfinals.
Senegal’s Mendy has also earned his place on the shortlist after another strong campaign.
The experienced goalkeeper remains one of Africa’s most decorated shot-stoppers and will be hoping to add another major individual honour to his career.
Despite Senegal’s elimination at the Round of 32 stage of the World Cup, Mendy produced notable performances for both club and country.
Vozinha completes the African trio, with the Cape Verde goalkeeper receiving recognition for his performances at the global showpiece.
The veteran was particularly impressive in Cape Verde’s Round of 32 clash against Argentina, where his display earned widespread praise.
The three African goalkeepers will face competition from Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois, Spain trio Joan García, David Raya and Unai Simón, Switzerland’s Gregor Kobel, Argentina’s Emiliano Martínez and Russia’s Matvey Safonov.
The winner of the 2026 Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year award will be selected from the 10-man shortlist.
Full list of nominees
Yassine Bounou – Morocco
Thibaut Courtois – Belgium
Joan García – Spain
Gregor Kobel – Switzerland
Emiliano Martínez – Argentina
Édouard Mendy – Senegal
David Raya – Spain
Matvey Safonov – Russia
Unai Simón – Spain
Vozinha – Cape Verde
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