Nigeria to host the 2026 CAF Awards after Morocco’s four-year run

SUMMARY

• After four consecutive years in Morocco (2022–2025), the prestigious CAF Awards and General Assembly are moving to Nigeria in 2026. 

• The 48th CAF General Assembly will convene in Abuja (October 2026), while the CAF Awards gala will light up Lagos (December 2026).

• The deal was finalised at the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi following direct negotiations between President Bola Tinubu and CAF President Patrice Motsepe.

• This marks Nigeria's first time hosting the awards since 2017, building on its previous hosting successes in 2008, 2013, and 2015. 

The CAF Awards are heading back to Nigeria after four straight years in Morocco. 

Often described as the biggest night in African football, the "Oscars of African Football" will return to the Giant of Africa for the first time since 2017.

Nigeria has hosted the ceremony several times before – in Lagos in 2008 and 2013, and in Abuja in 2015 and 2017. 

Now, nearly a decade later, the country is preparing to host both the 2026 CAF Awards and the 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved Nigeria’s bid following talks with CAF officials during the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, in May 2026.

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While many international events stick to a single city, Nigeria is spreading the prestige across its two major hubs to showcase the country’s diversity and infrastructure.

• The 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly will take place in Abuja in October 2026. The meeting brings together leaders of all 54 African football associations, along with top FIFA officials, to discuss major decisions affecting football on the continent.

• The 2026 CAF Awards will be held in Lagos in December 2026. This gala will crown the African Player of the Year (Men and Women), Coach of the Year, and top national teams in a night of global glamour.

The agreement followed discussions between President Tinubu and CAF President Patrice Motsepe.

Nigeria’s delegation included NFF President Ibrahim Gusau, former NFF President and CAF Executive Committee member Amaju Pinnick, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu.

With the CAF awards returning to Nigeria, fans will be hoping this will kick off a revitalisation of the Nigerian Football ecosystem, which has nosedived over the years due to what experts and fans tagged mismanagement and lack of adequate investment.

Nigeria have not hosted a FIFA football tournament since 2009, when the country famously hosted the Under 17 FIFA Men's World Cup, where Nigeria lost by a goal to nil to Switzerland in the final.

The 2026 CAF award is scheduled for December in Lagos, which also fits into Nigeria's end-of-the-year Detty December festivities, and fans will be hoping for a Nigerian footballer to make the podium again.