RismadarVoice Reporters
May 13, 2026
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved Nigeria’s bid to host the 2026 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards as well as the 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Tuesday following a meeting between President Tinubu and CAF President Patrice Motsepe during the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.
Those present at the meeting included 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; and CAF Acting General Secretary, Samson Adamu.
According to the NFF, the 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly is scheduled to be held in October 2026 and will bring together leading football administrators and stakeholders 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 read.
The CAF Ordinary General Assembly is one of the continent’s most significant football gatherings, traditionally attended by presidents of CAF’s 54 member associations, officials of the six zonal unions and senior football administrators.
The CAF Awards ceremony, regarded as African football’s flagship awards event, celebrates outstanding performances by players, coaches and teams across the continent.
The most recent edition of the awards took place in Rabat on November 19, 2025, with Morocco dominating several major categories.
Moroccan international Achraf Hakimi won the Men’s African Player of the Year award after helping Paris Saint-Germain secure both the UEFA Champions League and Ligue 1 titles. He succeeded Ademola Lookman and became the first Moroccan player to claim the prize since Mustapha Hadji in 1998.
Hakimi finished ahead of Mohamed Salah and Victor Osimhen in the final rankings.
Morocco also secured other top honours, with Yassine Bounou named Goalkeeper of the Year, Othmane Maamma winning Young Player of the Year and Ghizlane Chebbak emerging as Women’s Player of the Year.
Nigeria, however, maintained a strong showing in the women’s categories. Chiamaka Nnadozie retained the Goalkeeper of the Year award, while the Nigeria women’s national football team won National Team of the Year following another impressive campaign.
Nigeria has previously hosted the CAF Awards four times, with the latest edition held in Lagos in January 2015 at the Eko Hotel Convention Centre.
At the 2015 ceremony, Ivory Coast legend Yaya Touré won his fourth consecutive African Player of the Year award, equalling the record of Samuel Eto’o.
That same event also marked the rise of Asisat Oshoala, who won the first of her record six Women’s Player of the Year titles on home soil.
