Tinubu approves Nigeria’s bid to host 2026 CAF awards, general assembly

President Bola Tinubu has approved Nigeria’s proposal to host the 2026 Confederation of African Football Awards and the 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly, according to the Nigeria Football Federation, Sport360NG reports. 

The decision was confirmed in a statement issued by the NFF on Tuesday following a meeting between Tinubu and CAF president Patrice Motsepe at the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.

Also present at the meeting were Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, NFF president Ibrahim Gusau, former NFF boss and special adviser to the CAF president Amaju Pinnick, alongside CAF acting general secretary Samson Adamu.

The federation disclosed that the 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly would be staged in October this year and would attract football administrators and officials from across Africa.

“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 said.

CAF’s General Assembly traditionally gathers presidents of the organisation’s 54 member associations, representatives of the six zonal unions and other top football stakeholders on the continent.

The CAF Awards, regarded as African football’s premier recognition event, honours the continent’s leading players, coaches and teams annually.

The latest edition of the ceremony was held in Rabat, Morocco, on November 19, 2025, where Moroccan stars dominated the major categories.

Achraf Hakimi claimed the Men’s Player of the Year award after helping Paris Saint-Germain secure both the UEFA Champions League and Ligue 1 titles. The defender succeeded Ademola Lookman and became the first Moroccan to win the award since Mustapha Hadji in 1998, ahead of Mohamed Salah and Victor Osimhen.

Morocco also swept several other 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 following her performances at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Nigeria still enjoyed success in the women’s categories, as Chiamaka Nnadozie retained the Goalkeeper of the Year prize, while the Nigeria women’s national football team were named National Team of the Year.

Nigeria has hosted the CAF Awards four times previously, with Lagos staging the last edition in January 2015 at the Eko Hotel and Suites.

At the event, Ivory Coast legend Yaya Touré won his fourth straight African Player of the Year award to equal Samuel Eto’o’s record. Former Super Eagles captain Vincent Enyeama was among the top three nominees after an impressive campaign with Lille but finished behind Touré and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The 2015 ceremony also marked the emergence of Asisat Oshoala as a dominant force in African women’s football after she won the first of her record six Women’s Player of the Year titles on home soil.