The original 30-man list has been reduced to just three names and includes two England based players, with the winner to be revealed at a ceremony in Abuja on January 5, 2017.Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Riyad Mahrez and Sadio Mané will battle for the 2016 Glo/Caf African Footballer of the year award after the shortlist was whittled down from 30 names to just three. The list was pruned to three courtesy of votes from Head Coaches or Technical Directors of the National Associations affiliated to Caf, Media Committee, Technical & Football committee and a panel of Media Experts. Egypt’s Mohamed Salah and Islam Slimani of Algeria failed to make the final list.

In the African Player of the Year (Based in Africa) category, the three finalists are Rainford Kabala, Dennis Onyango and Khama Billiat. The African Football King will be crowned at the awards night holding at the International Convention Centre, Abuja on 5th January, 2017. Winners in other categories will also be announced at the event. Globacom has been the title sponsor of the awards since 2005.