Nigeria will host the prestigious 2026 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards ceremony alongside the 48th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football later this year, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has announced.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved Nigeria’s bid to stage the two major events following a high-level meeting with CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe at the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya. The announcement, made on Wednesday, underscores Nigeria’s growing stature in African football administration and its readiness to organise continental showcases.
According to an official statement from the NFF, President Tinubu gave his backing to the proposal. “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 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly is scheduled for October 2026 and will bring together presidents of CAF’s 54 member associations, representatives of the six zonal unions, and senior football officials from across the continent. The CAF Awards ceremony, which celebrates the continent’s outstanding players, coaches, teams, and administrators, is expected to follow in December.
This will mark Nigeria’s return to hosting the CAF Awards for the first time since 2017. The events are anticipated to boost the country’s sports tourism profile and further establish it as a preferred destination for major international gatherings.
Those present at the pivotal meeting in Nairobi included Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, former NFF president and Special Adviser to the CAF President Amaju Pinnick, and CAF Acting Secretary-General Samson Adamu.
