African footballers continue to occupy important places at some of the biggest clubs in world football. The 2026/27 season has brought several notable moves, including Mohamed Salah's departure from Liverpool, Ademola Lookman's move to Atlético Madrid and Ismael Saibari's arrival at Bayern Munich.

As of September 2026, the UEFA Champions League league phase alone includes 79 African players across its 36 clubs, with Morocco providing the largest national contingent.

Here are some of the African names currently representing major European clubs.

1. Achraf Hakimi – Paris Saint-Germain

Morocco's Achraf Hakimi remains one of the most prominent African players at the highest level. The right-back is with Paris Saint-Germain for the 2026/27 season and has already helped the French club win the Champions League in both 2025 and 2026.

PSG's current season schedule confirms Hakimi remains part of the squad, while the club's September fixtures include Champions League football.

UEFA's latest figures put Hakimi fourth among African nationals for Champions League appearances, with 77 appearances at the end of the 2025/26 campaign.

2. Brahim Díaz – Real Madrid

Morocco international Brahim Díaz is continuing his career at Real Madrid. The attacking midfielder was included in Morocco's 2026 World Cup squad as a Real Madrid player and remains part of the Spanish giants' first-team setup.

Real Madrid's September 2026 squad lists Díaz among its forwards.

3. Yan Diomande – Real Madrid

Real Madrid also have a younger African name in their squad. Ivorian forward Yan Diomande joined the Spanish club from RB Leipzig in 2026.

The club's official player profile records his birthplace as Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, and shows that he made his Real Madrid debut against Espanyol on 22 August 2026. By September, he had already made seven appearances in the new campaign.

4. Omar Marmoush – Manchester City

Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush is entering another season with Manchester City. He remains one of the club's attacking options alongside a number of high-profile international players.

Manchester City's 2026/27 squad information lists Marmoush among the forwards, while the club's preseason victory over Atlético Madrid saw him score twice.

The Egyptian is joined at City by other African internationals, including Ghana's Antoine Semenyo and Algeria's Rayan Aït-Nouri.

5. Ismael Saibari – Bayern Munich

Morocco international Ismael Saibari made one of the biggest club moves of his career in 2026 when Bayern Munich signed him from PSV Eindhoven.

Bayern confirmed the transfer in July, giving the 25-year-old a contract through June 2031. The club described him as a World Cup participant with Morocco.

Saibari had also scored three goals for Morocco at the 2026 World Cup before joining Bayern.

6. Ademola Lookman – Atlético Madrid

Nigeria's Ademola Lookman moved to Atlético Madrid in 2026 after four seasons with Atalanta.

Atlético's official profile lists him as a Nigerian forward and records his career path through Everton, RB Leipzig, Fulham, Leicester City and Atalanta before his 2026 move to Madrid.

His European résumé already includes a UEFA Europa League title with Atalanta in 2024.

7. Serhou Guirassy – Borussia Dortmund

Guinea international Serhou Guirassy remains with Borussia Dortmund for the 2026/27 season. He was one of the African players who immediately made an impact when the new Champions League campaign began.

Guirassy scored twice for Dortmund in their 3-2 victory over Villarreal on the opening matchday of the 2026/27 Champions League.

UEFA's latest statistics also list him among Africa's leading Champions League scorers, with 19 goals before the new campaign.

8. Mohammed Kudus – Tottenham Hotspur

Ghana's Mohammed Kudus is another African international playing in the Premier League's upper tier. He moved to Tottenham from West Ham and remains part of Spurs' 2026/27 squad.

Tottenham included Kudus in its 2026 preseason squad arrangements, although he was continuing rehabilitation at the time of the club's July tour.

9. Bryan Mbeumo – Manchester United

Cameroon international Bryan Mbeumo is now at Manchester United and made an immediate impression during the opening weeks of the 2026/27 season.

SuperSport named Mbeumo the inaugural winner of its African Premier League Player of the Month award after his August performances. The award followed his goal in Manchester United's 5-2 victory over Ipswich Town.

10. Hamza Abdelkarim – FC Barcelona

One of the youngest names on this list is Egyptian forward Hamza Abdelkarim. Barcelona signed him permanently from Al Ahly in 2026 after initially bringing him to Spain on loan.

Barcelona says the Egyptian was the club's leading preseason scorer in 2026 with four goals and made his competitive first-team debut against Rayo Vallecano on 31 August.

Africa's presence at Europe's biggest clubs

The 2026/27 season shows that African footballers are spread across several of Europe's biggest competitions rather than being concentrated in one league. Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Algeria, Cameroon and Guinea are among the African nations represented in the Champions League.

The 79 African players registered for the competition demonstrate the scale of that presence. Among the most recognisable names are Hakimi at PSG, Díaz and Diomande at Real Madrid, Saibari at Bayern Munich, Lookman at Atlético Madrid and Guirassy at Dortmund.

One major change from previous seasons is Mohamed Salah's absence from Liverpool. After nine seasons at Anfield, the Egyptian left the club in 2026 and completed a move to Turkish side Trabzonspor. Liverpool confirmed that he departed as the club's third-highest scorer with 257 goals in 442 appearances.