The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has rescheduled the 2026 CAF Awards ceremony to December 2, bringing the prestigious event forward by five days.
In a statement on Tuesday, November 10, CAF announced the revised date, replacing the earlier December 7 schedule.
The football governing body, however, did not disclose the reason for the adjustment.
The ceremony will take place at the Professor Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, formerly known as the National Theatre, in Lagos.
It is scheduled to begin at 7 pm Nigerian time, 8 pm in Cairo and 6 pm GMT.
The rescheduling marks another major development ahead of Nigeria’s hosting of the continental football awards, which will return to Lagos for the first time since 2014.
The 2026 CAF Awards will recognise outstanding performances across 18 categories, including the prestigious Men’s Player of the Year and Women’s Player of the Year awards.
Other categories will honour outstanding coaches, goalkeepers, emerging talents, clubs and national teams.
Meanwhile, 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 its member associations and clubs would participate in the voting process, with eligible national team coaches and captains encouraged to cast their votes.
The governing body also said independent monitoring would be employed to safeguard the integrity and transparency of the selection process.
Nigeria will have representatives in some categories despite having no Super Eagles or Super Falcons player nominated for the senior Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year awards.
Flamingos players Janet Akekoromowei and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi are nominated for the Women’s Young Player of the Year award.
Edo Queens goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma is also in contention for the Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year prize.
The return of the CAF Awards to Lagos is expected to bring together leading African footballers, coaches, administrators and other stakeholders to celebrate excellence in the continental game.
