The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has moved the 2026 CAF Awards ceremony to Wednesday, December 2, in Lagos, bringing the event forward from its previously announced date of December 7.
The ceremony is scheduled to commence at 7 pm local time at the Professor Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Arts, formerly known as the National Theatre.
CAF said the event would attract some of Africa’s biggest football stars, coaches and teams to honour their performances and contributions to the sport over the past year.
“The new date, 2 December 2026, brings forward one of the most prestigious events on the African sporting calendar, as the continent’s finest players, coaches and teams gather in Lagos for a glittering celebration of the achievements that have defined another remarkable year for African football,” the statement read.
The 2026 edition will mark the awards’ return to Lagos for the first time since 2014, with the football governing body describing the city as an appropriate venue for celebrating the continent’s football, culture, music and entertainment.
A total of 18 categories will be featured at the ceremony, including the CAF Men’s Player of the Year and CAF Women’s Player of the Year awards.
Other honours will cover outstanding coaches, goalkeepers, young talents, clubs and national teams.
CAF disclosed that voting for the awards began on November 5 and would close on November 20 across the men’s and women’s categories.
“The voting process involves CAF Member Associations and clubs, with eligible coaches and captains encouraged to cast their votes directly in recognition of the outstanding performers of the year,” the statement added.
The organisation said measures had been put in place to promote fairness and transparency in the selection process, including independent monitoring to safeguard the credibility of the results.
CAF had announced Lagos as the host city in October, with December 7 initially fixed for the ceremony.
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The city previously hosted the awards in 2008, 2013 and 2014. At the 2014 edition, held on January 8, 2015, former Ivory Coast captain Yaya Toure claimed the Men’s Player of the Year award for a record fourth consecutive time, while Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala emerged as the Women’s Player of the Year.
However, Nigeria will not feature in the race for the 2026 CAF Men’s Player of the Year award after the country was left out of the 10-man shortlist announced on November 4.
The Super Eagles also failed to secure nominations in the other six men’s categories, while the Super Falcons were absent from the major women’s award nominations.