Lagos Set to Host 2026 CAF Awards, Says Sanwo-Olu

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said the state is ready to host this year’s CAF Awards. A five-man team from the Confederation of African Football checked the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, also known as the National Theatre. This is the venue for the ceremony, according to The PUNCH.

The CAF team arrived in Nigeria last Thursday. They inspected the facilities Nigeria is offering to host the CAF’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly and annual CAF Awards ceremony.

Dr Christian Emeruwa leads the team. He is a former NFF presidential aspirant and CAF’s Head of Safety and Security. Other members of the delegation include Mohammed Bakeer (Technology), Inas Ahmed (Travel and Accommodation), Salah Mostafa (Transport), and Hervé Dassoundo (Branding).

Officials from the Lagos State Sports Commission received the team. The Director-General, Lekan Fatodu, led the inspection of the National Theatre on Monday.

Sanwo-Olu said the state is dedicated to making sure Lagos hosts a successful event. “We guided them through the venue and gathered their feedback. Hosting an event of this scale means every single detail counts and our team is working hard behind the scenes to make sure we get it right,” the governor said in a post on X on Monday.

“Lagos is ready and we look forward to putting on a brilliant show for African football.”

Nigeria has hosted the CAF Awards four times before. Lagos held the last edition in January 2015.

On November 21, 2026, Abuja will host the CAF General Assembly. Lagos will take the spotlight for the ceremony that honors the best players and other outstanding performers in African football.

Before visiting Lagos, the CAF delegation inspected facilities at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Friday. They also checked the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, which is the venue for the Congress, and the Transcorp Hilton Hotel on Saturday.

A five-man NFF delegation is accompanying the CAF team during the inspection tour. This includes Dr Ademola Olajire, Director of Media and Communications; Alizor Chuks, Director of Marketing; Barnabas Joro, Head of Security; Emmanuel Ayanbunmi, Chief Protocol Officer; and Tasiu Riskuwa Shehu, Head of ICT.

Two months ago, at the Africa Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, President Bola Tinubu approved Nigeria’s hosting of these two major CAF events. This followed a request from CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe.