The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has rescheduled the 2026 CAF Awards ceremony, moving the event forward by five days to Wednesday, December 2, in Lagos, Nigeria.
CAF confirmed the change in an announcement on Tuesday, November 10, replacing the previously scheduled date of December 7.
The ceremony will still take place at the Professor Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Arts, formerly known as the National Theatre, in Lagos, with proceedings expected to begin at 7p.m. Nigerian time.
Although CAF announced the new date, the continental football governing body did not provide an official explanation for the adjustment.
However, a report by The Guardian Nigeria quoted a CAF official as saying the decision followed concerns that European clubs might be reluctant to release their players for the original December 7 date.
According to the official, the adjustment was necessary to ensure that nominees could attend the ceremony rather than risk having several award contenders absent.
The 2026 edition will mark the return of the CAF Awards to Lagos for the first time since 2014, bringing together leading African footballers, coaches, clubs, national teams and other personalities to celebrate achievements across the continent.
The ceremony will recognise outstanding performances across 18 categories, with the CAF Men's Player of the Year and Women's Player of the Year awards expected to headline the event.
Other categories include Men's and Women's Coach of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, Young Player of the Year, Interclub Player of the Year, Club of the Year and National Team of the Year.
Voting for the 2026 CAF Awards opened on November 5 and will close on November 20 across the men's and women's categories.
CAF said the process involves its member associations and clubs, with eligible coaches and national team captains participating in the selection of winners.
The governing body said independent monitoring would also be used to safeguard the integrity of the voting process and ensure fairness and transparency.
Despite hosting the ceremony, Nigeria will have no representative in either the Men's or Women's Player of the Year categories for the first time in notable circumstances.
The Super Eagles are without a nominee in the men's category, while no Super Falcons player made the women's shortlist.
However, Nigeria still has representatives in other categories.
Flamingos players Janet Akekoromowei and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi are nominated for the Women's Young Player of the Year award, while Edo Queens goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma is among the nominees for the Women's Goalkeeper of the Year award.
The return of the awards to Lagos provides Nigeria with an opportunity to host some of the biggest names in African football as the continent celebrates its outstanding performers of the year.
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