AFCON star Maswanhise on cusp of Scottish Premiership milestone

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Most Promising Talen from Zimbabwe Tawanda Maswanhise, is on the cusp of yet another career milestone in the Scottish Premiership.

Maswanhise has been nominated for 2025-2026 PFA Scotland Premiership Player of the Season Award, following his stellar performances with Motherwell FC. He has earned the nomination alongside teammates Elijah Just.

He joined the 20-goal club and stayed top of the scoring charts in the Scottish top-flight 👏

Your February player of the month was full of life. @tawandajethrooo pic.twitter.com/YZnBOWv5jz

— Motherwell FC (@MotherwellFC) March 13, 2026

In a statement, Motherwell FC coach Jens Berthel Askou described the recognition of the Warriors forward and his teammate Elijah as well deserved considering their exploits for the club in this campaign.

Maswanhise: 2025 AFCON Surprise

“This season Elijah and Tawanda have been standout players not just for us but for the entire Scottish Premiership,” Askou said about Elijah and the 2025 AFCON revelation.

“They’ve been pivotal in our club development, where they have performed consistently to a very high level, being both very involved in match-deciding moments.

“Taking their journey from last season into consideration, it wasn’t obvious the impact they’d have in the league this season, and it makes me very happy on their behalf to see them being voted into the PFA’s Team Of The Year alongside three of their teammates and get the recognition they deserve from their competitors.

“Both being nominated as Player of The Year on top of that is another huge acknowledgement for their hard work and something for them as well as their teammates to be extremely proud of.”

The 23-year-old was the surprise of the 2025 AFCON finals in Morocco as he went there with the Zimbabwe national team as an unknown.

However, in his only appearance, he scored once and created another goal as the Warriors pushed South Africa to the limit in a group-stage match before eventually losing 2-3.

Zimbabwean takes Premiership by storm

The Zimbabwean carried his AFCON form to Motherwell in the Scottish Premier League where he is the Golden Boot Award favourite.

𝗩𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀.

Here is your PFA Scotland Premiership Team of the Year for 25/26, sponsored by Stagecoach.

Calum Ward (Motherwell)

Paul McGinn (Motherwell)
Craig Halkett (Heart of Midlothian)
Emmanuel Fernandez (Rangers)… pic.twitter.com/a8TUp70PvH

— PFA Scotland (@PFAScotland) April 17, 2026

Recognising his exploits, the Scottish Premiership has nominated Maswanhise for the PFA Scotland Premiership Player of the Year award, which is voted for by fellow players across the top- flight. The winner will be announced on Sunday 3 May.

The Zimbabwean joined the Fir Park club in 2024 and currently leads the scoring chart with a massive 17 goals in 31 games.

The African star, who only scored five league goals last season, is enjoying his game under Motherwell FC new manager Askou.

Earlier, the Warriors forward was also named in the PFA Scotland Premiership Team of the Year for 25/26.