FULL LIST: Three African goalkeepers nominated for Yashin Trophy in Ballon d’Or 2026

Three African goalkeepers have been named among the 10 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year award, also known as the Yashin Trophy.

Morocco’s Yassine Bounou, Senegal’s Édouard Mendy and Cape Verde’s Vozinha were included in the shortlist announced by France Football on Tuesday.

They will compete for the prestigious award alongside 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.

The nominations recognise performances between August 2025 and July 2026, including displays at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Vozinha earned his place on the shortlist after a remarkable World Cup campaign with Cape Verde, who made their tournament debut.

The 40-year-old became one of the competition’s breakout stars, producing impressive performances against eventual champions Spain and Argentina.

He helped Cape Verde hold Spain to a goalless draw before keeping Argentina at bay for long periods in their Round of 32 encounter, forcing the match into extra time. Cape Verde eventually suffered a 3-2 defeat after extra time.

Vozinha, who captained the Blue Sharks during the tournament, was subsequently selected for FIFA’s fan-voted World Cup Dream Team.

His performances also attracted enormous attention off the pitch, with his social media following reportedly soaring from fewer than 50,000 before the World Cup to almost 29 million.

The goalkeeper was without a club when the tournament began but secured a move to Chilean giants Colo-Colo several weeks after the competition.

Bounou, a key figure for Morocco’s Atlas Lions and a previous CAF award winner, also earned a place on the shortlist after…