CAF Awards 2026: Lagos to Host on 7 December, What Fans Need to Know

The 2026 CAF Awards will be held in Lagos, Nigeria, on Monday 7 December, bringing Africa's biggest football night back to West Africa. With the date and city now confirmed, attention in Kenya and across the continent is turning to who will follow Achraf Hakimi as African Player of the Year.

CAF Awards 2026: Date and Host City Confirmed

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) fixed the date at a virtual meeting of its Executive Committee, chaired by CAF president Patrice Motsepe, on Friday 2 October.

Lagos will host the gala on 7 December. Nigeria will also host CAF's Ordinary General Assembly on 21 November, so the country stages two of the confederation's biggest events in the space of three weeks.

The General Assembly brings together the presidents of CAF's 54 member associations, along with representatives of the continent's six zonal unions, of which CECAFA, home to Kenya's federation, is one. Holding it in the same country as the awards gives Nigeria a busy end to the football year.

Key dates at a glance

• 2 October 2026: CAF Executive Committee confirms the awards date
• 21 November 2026: CAF Ordinary General Assembly in Nigeria
• 7 December 2026: CAF Awards gala in Lagos

As of early October, CAF had not yet published official shortlists for the 2026 awards. Nominee lists normally come out in the weeks before the ceremony, followed by the final shortlists.

The Nairobi Connection

Kenyan fans have a small but real link to this year's awards. Nigeria's hosting was approved by President Bola Tinubu in May, after he met Motsepe on the sidelines of the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi.

Nigeria Football Federation president Ibrahim Musa Gusau was part of the Nigerian delegation in Kenya, along with CAF acting general secretary Samson Adamu. So a key decision about African football's showpiece night was effectively sealed in the Kenyan capital.

Kenya is also preparing to co-host AFCON 2027 with Uganda and Tanzania, which keeps East Africa firmly in CAF's spotlight over the next year.

Award Categories to Watch

The CAF Awards honour both men's and women's football. The main categories include:

• Player of the Year (men and women)
• Goalkeeper of the Year (men and women)
• Young Player of the Year (men and women)
• Coach of the Year
• Club of the Year
• National Team of the Year
• Interclub Player of the Year, for players based on the continent
• Referee and Assistant Referee of the Year
• Goal of the Year, decided by a fan vote

The Interclub Player award matters for East African fans because it is reserved for players based on the continent. It gives stars from African leagues a route to recognition that the main Player of the Year award rarely provides.

Who Won at the 2025 CAF Awards?

The 2025 edition was held in Rabat, Morocco, on 19 November 2025, and the hosts dominated. Here are the main winners:

• Men's Player of the Year: Achraf Hakimi (Morocco, Paris Saint-Germain)
• Women's Player of the Year: Ghizlane Chebbak (Morocco, Al Hilal)
• Men's Goalkeeper of the Year: Yassine Bounou (Morocco, Al Hilal)
• Women's Goalkeeper of the Year: Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria, Brighton & Hove Albion)
• Men's Young Player of the Year: Othmane Maamma (Morocco, Watford)
• Women's Young Player of the Year: Doha El Madani (Morocco, AS FAR)
• Men's Interclub Player of the Year: Fiston Mayele (DR Congo, Pyramids)
• Coach of the Year: Bubista (Cape Verde)
• Men's Club of the Year: Pyramids (Egypt)
• Men's National Team of the Year: Morocco Under-20
• Women's National Team of the Year: Nigeria

Hakimi will go into the 2026 awards as the reigning African Player of the Year, and he is widely expected to be in contention again.

East Africa's Winners Last Year

East Africa did not leave Rabat empty-handed. Tanzanian striker Clement Mzize of Young Africans won Goal of the Year, the only category decided by supporters' votes.

The region also dominated the refereeing awards. Somalia's Omar Abdulkadir was named Men's Referee of the Year, Djibouti's Liban Abdoulrazack won Men's Assistant Referee of the Year, and Uganda's Shamirah Nabadda was Women's Referee of the Year.

Those wins show that CAF recognition is not only for stars in Europe. For Kenyan players and officials, a strong year in CAF club competitions or for the national teams is the clearest path onto future shortlists.

What Kenyan fans should look out for

Keep an eye on the Interclub, Goal of the Year and refereeing categories when the shortlists are published. These are the awards where players and officials from leagues like the SportPesa Premier League, Tanzania's top flight and Uganda's league have the best chance of appearing.

Frequently Asked Questions

When are the 2026 CAF Awards?

The 2026 CAF Awards will be held on Monday 7 December 2026, according to a decision by the CAF Executive Committee on 2 October.

Where will the 2026 CAF Awards take place?

The ceremony will be in Lagos, Nigeria. Nigeria will also host CAF's Ordinary General Assembly on 21 November 2026.

Who won the 2025 African Player of the Year award?

Morocco and Paris Saint-Germain full-back Achraf Hakimi won the men's award in Rabat. Morocco's Ghizlane Chebbak won the women's award.

Have the 2026 CAF Awards nominees been announced?

Not officially, as of early October. CAF had not yet published its shortlists, so any names currently circulating are predictions, not confirmed nominees.

With the date and host city set, the countdown to Lagos has begun. Scorer254 will bring you the official CAF Awards 2026 shortlists as soon as they are announced, with a close eye on any Kenyan and East African names.