Banyana Banyana‚ Saturday’s Africa Women Cup of Nations (Awcon) finalists against Nigeria in Ghana‚ have been covered with more glory with three nominations in the Confederation of African Football (Caf) awards for 2018.

The Caf Awards 2018 will be held in Dakar‚ Senegal on Tuesday‚ January 8 2019.

Banyana‚ the 2018 Cosafa (Council of Southern Africa Football Associations) women’s champions‚ will be the overwhelming favourites to win the team award they have been nominated for if they can beat Nigeria‚ who they won 1-0 against in the group stage‚ again in the final on Saturday.

Their 22-year-old emerging global superstar Thembi Kgatlana will be hard to beat for Player of the Year as she currently leads the Awcon top scorers’ chart with five goals.

Banyana captain and Kgatlana’s Houston Dash teammate Janine van Wyk was also nominated for Player of the Year.

Desiree Ellis is nominated for Coach of the Year having won the Cosafa and led Banyana to 2019 Fifa Women's World Cup qualification with a top three place in Ghana.

The SA Football Association (Safa) said in a statement: “Captain of the South African senior women’s national team Janine van Wyk has been nominated alongside striker Thembi Kgatlana in the African Women’s Player of the Year categories.

“Kgatlana is the current leading goal scorer in the 2018 Women’s Afcon.

She has already scored five goals in four matches‚ and won three consecutive Woman of the Match accolades. She was also a nominee in the same category last year.

“Van Wyk‚ who has led Banyana Banyana to the World Cup qualification as captain‚ also returns for the second bite at the cherry in this award as she was nominated in 2016.

Van Wyk was recently named in the Caf top players for the 2018 Women’s Afcon.

“After a great run in the last few months‚ South Africa has again been nominated in the Caf Women’s National Team of Year‚ an award they won early this year.

“Banyana Banyana have been in fine form‚ winning back-to back Cosafa Women’s championships‚ qualifying for the 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup for the first time in their history and also making the final of the 2018 Women’s Afcon in their 12th appearance in the tournament.

“Banyana Banyana will battle it out with Cameroon (2018 Women’s Acfon semifinalists)‚ Ghana‚ Mali (2018 Women’s Afcon semifinalists) and Nigeria (2018 Women’s Afcon finalists.”

Banyana beat Mali 2-0 in Tuesday’s semifinal in Cape Coast‚ Ghana‚ to reach the Awcon final.

Caf Awards 2018 women’s nominees -

Women’s African player of the Year:

Abdulai Mukarama (Ghana and Northern Ladies)

Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria and Dilian Quanjian)

Bassira Toure (Mali and AS Mande)

Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa and Houston Dash)

Desire Oparanozia (Nigeria and Guingamp)

Elizabeth Addo (Ghana and Seattle Reign)

Francisca Ordega (Nigeria and Washington Spirit)

Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene (Cameroon and CSKA Moscow)

Gaelle Enganamouit (Cameroon and Avaldenes)

Janine Van Wyk (South Africa and Houston Dash)

Marlyse Ngo Ndoumbouk (Cameroon and Nancy-Lorraine)

Onome Ebi (Nigeria and Hekan Huisanhang)

Portia Boakye (Ghana and Djurgardens)

Raissa Feudjio (Cameroon and Aland United)

Tabitha Chawinga (Malawi and Jiangsu Suning)

Women’s Coach of the Year:

Desiree Ellis (South Africa), Bruce Mwape (Zambia), Joseph Brian Ndoko (Cameroon), Saloum Houssein (Mali)

Thomas Dennerby (Nigeria)

Women’s National Team of the Year:

South Africa, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria