The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unveiled its Best XI for the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), and Nigeria leads the way with three players in the team.
Super Eagles stars Victor Osimhen, Calvin Bassey and Ademola Lookman all earned places in the tournament’s best XI following Nigeria’s impressive run in the competition.
CAF released the list on Wednesday morning, three days after the tournament concluded, with the selection dominated by players from Nigeria, Senegal and Morocco.
Osimhen was named the best striker of the tournament after featuring in six matches and scoring four goals for Nigeria. His performances helped the Super Eagles reach the latter stages of the competition.
Lookman, the Atalanta winger, topped the tournament’s goal involvement chart with three goals and four assists, underlining his importance to Nigeria’s attacking play.
Bassey, who plays for Fulham, was a standout in defence. The former Rangers centre-back helped Nigeria keep three clean sheets in the six games he played, anchoring the backline with consistency and resilience.
Nigeria’s three representatives were matched by strong showings from the finalists. Winners Senegal and runners-up Morocco each placed four players in the CAF Best XI, highlighting their dominance throughout the tournament.
PSG Defender, Ashraf Hakimi; Real Madrid forward, Brahim Diaz; Al Hilal goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou and Manchester United defender, Noussair Mazraoui are the four Moroccans in the top eleven.
For the Championsh Senegal, Al-Nassr forward Sadio Mane, Villarreal’s Pape Gueye, Lyon’s Moussa Niakhaté, and Idrissa Gana Gueye of Everton made the list.