CAF Awards 2026: CAF Announces New Date for Lagos Ceremony

• CAF Awards 2026 will now take place on December 2 in Lagos, five days earlier than planned, with winners to be honoured across 18 categories.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has brought forward its 2026 awards ceremony to Wednesday, December 2, replacing the previously announced date of December 7.

The event will begin at 7 pm local time at the Professor Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Arts, formerly known as the National Theatre, in Lagos.

CAF said the ceremony would bring together leading players, coaches and teams to celebrate outstanding achievements in African football over the past year.

“The new date, 2 December 2026, brings forward one of the most prestigious events on the African sporting calendar, as the continent’s finest players, coaches and teams gather in Lagos for a glittering celebration of the achievements that have defined another remarkable year for African football,” the statement read.

Winners to emerge across 18 categories

The 2026 edition will recognise performances across 18 categories, including the CAF Men’s Player of the Year and CAF Women’s Player of the Year awards.

Other honours will recognise coaches, goalkeepers, emerging talents, clubs and national teams.

CAF said the event would combine the football awards with a celebration of African culture, music and entertainment.

Voting closes November 20

Voting across the men’s and women’s categories opened on November 5 and will continue until November 20.

“The voting process involves CAF Member Associations and clubs, with eligible coaches and captains encouraged to cast their votes directly in recognition of the outstanding performers of the year,” the statement added.

According to CAF, the process is intended to ensure broad representation, fairness and transparency. Independent monitoring will also be used to protect the integrity of the results.

Awards return to Lagos after 2014 edition

CAF confirmed Lagos as the host city in October, initially setting December 7 as the ceremony date.

The city last hosted the awards for the 2014 edition, which took place on January 8, 2015. Lagos also staged the event in 2008 and 2013.

At the 2014 edition, former Ivory Coast captain Yaya Toure won the Men’s Player of the Year award for a record fourth consecutive time.

Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala claimed the Women’s Player of the Year prize at the same ceremony.

Nigeria absent from men’s top award shortlist

Nigeria has no representative on the 10-man shortlist for the 2026 CAF Men’s Player of the Year award, released on November 4.

The Super Eagles were also absent from nominations across the other six men’s categories, while the Super Falcons missed out on the top women’s awards.