The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has rescheduled the 2026 CAF Awards ceremony to Wednesday, 2 December, in Lagos, bringing the event forward from its initial date of 7 December.
The ceremony will begin at 7 pm local time at the Professor Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Arts, formerly known as the National Theatre.
According to CAF, the event will bring together some of the continent’s leading footballers, coaches and teams to celebrate their achievements 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 governing body said in a statement.
The 2026 edition will mark the return of the awards to Lagos for the first time since 2014. CAF said the city would provide an appropriate setting for a celebration of African football, culture, music and entertainment.
The awards will recognise outstanding performances across 18 categories, including the CAF Men’s Player of the Year and CAF Women’s Player of the Year prizes.
Other categories will honour coaches, goalkeepers, emerging talents, clubs and national teams.
CAF said voting for the awards began on 5 November and would close on 20 November 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 the voting process was designed to ensure broad representation, fairness and transparency, with independent monitoring to protect the integrity of the results.
CAF confirmed Lagos as the host city in October, initially announcing 7 December as the date for the ceremony.
The city previously hosted the awards in 2008, 2013 and 2014.
At the 2014 edition, held on 8 January 2015, former Ivory Coast captain Yaya Toure won the Men’s Player of the Year award for a record fourth consecutive time, while Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala claimed the Women’s Player of the Year prize.
