CAF Reschedules 2026 Awards to December 2 as Lagos Prepares to Host Africa’s Biggest Football Stars

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced a new date for the 2026 CAF Awards, bringing the ceremony forward from December 7 to December 2. The event will take place at the Professor Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Arts, popularly known as the National Theatre, in Lagos, with the ceremony scheduled to begin at 7pm Nigerian time. The announcement was made on November 10, giving organisers and nominees a revised date for one of African football’s biggest annual celebrations.

CAF had initially scheduled the awards for December 7 after confirming Lagos as the host city in October. However, the governing body later moved the ceremony forward by five days. Although CAF did not publicly state a reason for the adjustment, a report by The Guardian Nigeria, citing a CAF official, suggested that the change was influenced by concerns over European clubs releasing nominated players for the original date. Moving the ceremony earlier is expected to improve the chances of having more nominees in attendance.

The 2026 edition will mark the return of the CAF Awards to Lagos for the first time since 2014, bringing leading footballers, coaches, club representatives and administrators to Nigeria. The ceremony will recognise achievements across 18 categories, including the highly anticipated CAF Men’s Player of the Year and CAF Women’s Player of the Year awards. Other honours will recognise outstanding goalkeepers, coaches, young talents, clubs and national teams that have made significant contributions to African football.

Nigeria’s representation in the major individual categories has also attracted attention ahead of the ceremony. For the first time, no Nigerian player has been shortlisted for either the Men’s or Women’s Player of the Year awards. However, the country still has nominees in other categories, including Flamingos players Janet Akekoromowei and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi in the women’s young player category, while Edo Queens goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma is nominated for the women’s goalkeeper award.

Voting for the 2026 CAF Awards began on November 5 and will close on November 20. CAF says the process involves its member associations and clubs, with eligible national team coaches and captains participating in the selection. Independent monitoring measures are also in place to promote fairness and transparency.

With the new date confirmed, attention now turns to Lagos as it prepares to host the continent’s football community. Beyond recognising individual and team achievements, the ceremony will also offer Nigeria an opportunity to showcase its cultural heritage and capacity to host major international sporting events.