The 2026 CAF Awards ceremony will now take place on December 2 in Lagos, five days earlier than originally announced. The Confederation of African Football confirmed the revised date on Tuesday, November 10, retaining the Professor Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Arts as the venue.
The 2026 CAF Awards were officially scheduled for December 7, but organisers have moved the event forward by five days.The announcement places Lagos at the centre of football celebrations as players, coaches, clubs and national teams prepare to attend.
According to a CAF official quoted by The Guardian, concerns about European clubs releasing nominated players influenced the scheduling decision. The official reportedly warned that several nominees could miss the ceremony if organisers retained the original December date this year.
CAF’s public announcement confirmed the new date but did not independently provide an explanation for the adjustment to its schedule. The ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. Nigerian time, bringing prominent football figures together from across the African football community.
This year’s edition marks the awards’ return to Lagos, following the 2014 ceremony and a twelve-year absence from the city. Organisers selected the Professor Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Arts, popularly known as the National Theatre, as venue.
The venue will provide a setting for recognising outstanding performances and contributions across African football throughout the previous football season. CAF plans to recognise excellence across 18 categories, with the men’s and women’s Player of the Year prizes headlining proceedings.
Other honours recognise outstanding coaches, goalkeepers, emerging talents, clubs and national teams from across the African continent this year. Meanwhile, voting for the 2026 CAF Awards opened on November 5 and continues until November 20 this year across categories.
CAF Member Associations and clubs participate in the process, while eligible coaches and national team captains also cast their votes. The confederation says independent monitoring will support fairness, transparency and broad representation throughout the selection process across all categories.
The return to Lagos gives Nigeria another opportunity to showcase its cultural heritage alongside African football excellence through this event. With December 2 confirmed, attention will turn towards eventual winners and outstanding football achievements across the continent this year overall.
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