Nigeria will host the prestigious 2026 CAF Awards in Lagos on Monday, December 7, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed, Trybal News reports.
The ceremony will take place at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, formerly known as the National Theatre, in Iganmu, Lagos.
The 2026 edition will mark the fourth time Lagos has hosted the CAF Awards, following previous editions in 2008, 2013 and 2014.
The annual ceremony brings together some of the biggest names and leading stakeholders in African football to celebrate the continent’s outstanding players, coaches and administrators.
The CAF Executive Committee also approved Nigeria as the host nation for the CAF Ordinary General Assembly, which will take place on Saturday, November 21, 2026, at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.
The decisions were confirmed by CAF on Saturday following a virtual meeting of the Executive Committee chaired by CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe on Friday.
Nigeria’s return as host of the CAF Awards will be particularly significant, as the ceremony will be staged in the country for the first time since Abuja hosted the 2016 CAF Awards in January 2017.
That edition proved memorable for Nigeria, with Asisat Oshoala winning the Women’s Player of the Year award, while Kelechi Iheanacho was named Most Promising Player of the Year and Alex Iwobi won the Youth Player of the Year prize. Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez claimed the Men’s Player of the Year award.
The 2026 ceremony will also be the first CAF Awards staged outside Morocco since 2022. Morocco hosted four consecutive editions from 2022 to 2025, with Rabat and Marrakech serving as host cities.
Nigeria’s hosting of the CAF Ordinary General Assembly will also represent a significant return. The country last hosted the continental football congress in February 2009, when Lagos staged the meeting at which elections to the CAF and FIFA Executive Committees were held.
The General Assembly brings together presidents of CAF’s 54 Member Associations, representatives of the six zonal unions and senior football officials from across the continent.
CAF also approved its competitions calendar for the 2026–2030 period during the Executive Committee meeting, giving member associations, clubs and other stakeholders greater certainty in planning for future continental competitions.
With Lagos set to host the CAF Awards and Abuja hosting the Ordinary General Assembly, Nigeria is poised to welcome some of the most influential figures in African football for two major CAF events later in 2026.
