CAF sets date for 2026 Awards in Lagos

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced that the 2026 edition of its annual awards ceremony will be held in Lagos, Nigeria, on 7 December.

This decision came during a virtual meeting of the CAF Executive Committee (EXCO), which was led by the president, Patrice Motsepe, on Friday, 2 October.

In this meeting, the committee also approved the CAF Competitions Calendar for 2026 to 2030. They made changes to the rules for the continent’s club competitions.

Nigeria will host another important CAF event, the Ordinary General Assembly, on 21 November.

The EXCO also got updates on the preparations for the CAF Strategy Conference. This conference is set to take place in Sal, Cabo Verde, from 7 to 9 October.

The 2026 CAF Awards will gather top footballers, coaches, clubs, and officials to celebrate the best in African football.

The event will highlight achievements in both men’s and women’s football. Awards will be given for categories like Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, Young Player of the Year, and Club of the Year.

Nigeria has done well at these awards, especially in the Player of the Year categories for both men and women.

Ademola Lookman won the men’s award in 2024, following Victor Osimhen’s win in 2023. They became the first Nigerian duo to win back-to-back in this category since Nwankwo Kanu and Victor Ikpeba did so in 1996 and 1997.

The 2024 ceremony, which took place in Marrakech, Morocco, also saw Nigeria’s Super Falcons named Women’s National Team of the Year. Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie was awarded Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year.

At the 2025 awards in Rabat, Morocco had a big night. Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/Paris Saint-Germain) won the Men’s Player of the Year. Ghizlane Chebbak (Morocco/Al Hilal) won the Women’s Player of the Year.

Yassine Bounou (Morocco/Al Hilal) and Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie (Brighton & Hove Albion) took home the Men’s and Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year awards. Othmane Maamma (Morocco/Watford) and Doha El Madani (Morocco/AS FAR) were named Men’s and Women’s Young Players of the Year.