Nigeria to host 2026 CAF Awards

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President Bola Tinubu has approved Nigeria’s bid to host the 2026 Confederation of African Football Awards as well as the 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly, The PUNCH reports.

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According to a statement released by the Nigeria Football Federation on Tuesday, the approval came during the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, following a meeting between Tinubu and CAF president Patrice Motsepe.

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Nigeria’s minister of foreign affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, NFF president Ibrahim Gusau, former NFF president and special adviser to the CAF president Amaju Pinnick, as well as CAF acting general secretary Samson Adamu, were all present at the meeting.

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In the statement, the NFF confirmed that the 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly would take place in October this year, bringing together top football administrators from across the continent.

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“The President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, has approved Nigeria’s proposed hosting of the 48th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football, as well as this year’s CAF Awards Ceremony,” the statement read.

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“The 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly will take place in October this year.”

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The CAF Ordinary General Assembly traditionally brings together presidents of CAF’s 54 member associations, representatives of the six zonal unions and senior football officials from across the continent.

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The CAF Awards ceremony remains African football’s flagship event, celebrating the continent’s top performers in an atmosphere of glitz, glamour and prestige.

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The most recent CAF Awards ceremony took place in Rabat, Morocco, on November 19, 2025, with the hosts dominating several major categories.

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Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi succeeded Ademola Lookman as African men’s Player of the Year after helping Paris Saint-Germain win the UEFA Champions League and Ligue 1 title.

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The defender became the first Moroccan player to win the award since Mustapha Hadji in 1998, finishing ahead of Mohamed Salah and Victor Osimhen.

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Morocco also won other major individual honours, with Yassine Bounou winning Goalkeeper of the Year, Othmane Maamma named Young Player of the Year and Ghizlane Chebbak emerging as Women’s Player of the Year after her performances at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

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Nigeria, however, still retained a strong presence in the women’s categories. Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie successfully defended her Goalkeeper of the Year crown, while Nigeria’s women’s national team won National Team of the Year after another dominant campaign.

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Nigeria has previously hosted the CAF Awards on four occasions, with Lagos staging the most recent edition in January 2015.

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At that ceremony held at the Eko Hotel Convention Centre, Ivory Coast legend Yaya Touré won his fourth consecutive African Player of the Year award, equalling Samuel Eto’o’s record. Nigeria’s Vincent Enyeama had been among the final three nominees after an outstanding season with Lille, but finished behind Touré and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

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The 2015 ceremony in Lagos also marked the beginning of Asisat Oshoala’s dominance in African women’s football, as the Nigerian forward won her first Women’s Player of the Year award on home soil before going on to extend it to a historic six.

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