Lagos will host the CAF Awards 2026 after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) selected Nigeria to stage the continent's most prestigious football awards ceremony, returning the event to the country for the first time in almost a decade.
The ceremony will take place at the newly transformed Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, where Africa's leading footballers, coaches, administrators and senior figures in the game are expected to gather for an evening honouring the year's outstanding achievements.
The choice of Nigeria continues a busy period for the country's football calendar especially when in October, it will also welcome delegates for the 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly, placing two of the governing body's flagship events in Nigeria within the same year.
Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman are widely expected to feature prominently when CAF unveils the shortlist for the Men's Player of the Year award after producing another season of performances that kept them among Africa's elite.
Lookman enjoyed another influential campaign with Atalanta, delivering decisive goals and consistently producing in key moments. Osimhen maintained the remarkable scoring form that has established him as one of the continent's most feared forwards, adding another prolific season to his growing body of work.
Either player winning the award would add another chapter to Nigeria's rich football history. Only six Nigerians have previously been named African Player of the Year, placing the country among the competition's most successful nations.
The return of the CAF Awards also recalls Nigeria's previous turn as host. The country staged the event in 2016, with the ceremony held in Abuja in January 2017. Algeria's Riyad Mahrez collected the Men's Player of the Year prize that evening, while Nigeria's Asisat Oshoala was named Women's Player of the Year.
The annual awards recognise excellence across African football, honouring players, coaches, clubs and national teams in both the men's and women's game. Subject to CAF's final approval, this year's programme is expected to include Men's Player of the Year, Women's Player of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, Coach of the Year, Young Player of the Year and several awards for clubs and national teams.
CAF has not yet announced the date of the ceremony or confirmed the final list of award categories. Those details are expected in the coming months.
For Nigeria, hosting the CAF Awards and the 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly in the same year places the country at the centre of African football's calendar, with Lagos preparing to welcome many of the sport's biggest names for one of its most anticipated occasions.
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