The Confederation of African Football has brought forward the 2026 CAF Awards ceremony by five days following concerns that European clubs might refuse to release their African players for the original date.
The awards ceremony, initially scheduled for December 7, will now take place on Wednesday, December 2, at the Professor Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Arts, formerly known as the National Theatre, in Lagos.
A CAF official disclosed that the decision followed concerns over the availability of nominees playing for European clubs, which could have affected attendance at the ceremony.
According to the official, the governing body considered changing the date necessary to ensure that award recipients and other nominated personalities would be present.
“We had no choice really. You do an event, and the winners are not there, or you change [the date] so they can be there,” the official said.
The ceremony will commence at 7pm Nigerian time and is expected to attract leading African footballers, coaches, club representatives and other stakeholders in the game.
The event will also mark the return of the CAF Awards to Lagos for the first time since the 2014 edition, with organisers planning to combine the celebration of football excellence with Nigeria’s cultural heritage through music, dance and entertainment.
A total of 18 award categories will be presented, with the Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year prizes expected to headline the event.
Other categories will recognise outstanding goalkeepers, coaches, young talents, clubs and national teams for their performances and contributions to African football.
Meanwhile, voting for the 2026 awards is ongoing and will close on November 20.
The selection process involves national team coaches and captains, CAF’s Technical Study Group and selected media representatives, who will participate in determining winners across the various categories.
Interestingly, Nigeria has no nominee in either the men’s or women’s Player of the Year categories for the 2026 edition.
However, Nigerian youngsters Janet Akekoromowei and Flamingos player Oluwakemi Adegbuyi are nominated in the Best Young Player category, while Edo Queens’ Christiana Uzoma is among the contenders for the Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award.
The revised date is expected to improve the chances of nominees attending the ceremony, particularly those whose commitments with European clubs could have prevented them from travelling to Lagos on the original date.
