Lagos is set to host one of African football’s biggest celebrations as the 2026 CAF Awards take place on December 2, bringing together some of the continent’s finest players, coaches, clubs and national teams.
The ceremony will begin at 7:00 p.m. local time in Nigeria, corresponding to 8:00 p.m. in Cairo and 6:00 p.m. GMT.
The event will return to Lagos for the first time since 2014, giving Nigeria’s commercial capital another opportunity to showcase its rich cultural heritage while welcoming leading figures from the African football community.
The Professor Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Arts, popularly known as the National Theatre, will provide the venue for the ceremony. Organisers are expected to combine football recognition with music, entertainment and other cultural displays to create a memorable evening.
This year’s awards will recognise outstanding achievements across 18 categories, with the CAF Men’s Player of the Year and CAF Women’s Player of the Year awards expected to attract particular attention.
Other categories will recognise the contributions of coaches, goalkeepers, promising young players, clubs and national teams whose performances have made a significant impact on African football over the past year.
Meanwhile, voting for the 2026 awards is already underway and will run from November 5 to November 20 across the men’s and women’s categories.
CAF Member Associations and clubs are involved in the voting process, with eligible coaches and team captains also invited to cast their votes for the players and other football personalities they believe deserve recognition.
The process is intended to give different sections of African football a voice in determining the winners while promoting fairness and transparency. Independent monitoring will also be used to protect the credibility of the results.
With the return of the CAF Awards to Lagos, the city is preparing to welcome the continent’s football community for an evening dedicated to celebrating excellence and the achievements shaping African football.
