President Bola Tinubu has given approval for Nigeria’s bid to host the 2026 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards, along with the 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly.
According to a statement from the Nigeria Football Federation on Tuesday, the approval was reached during the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, after a meeting between Tinubu and CAF President Patrice Motsepe.
Present at the meeting were Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; NFF President Ibrahim Gusau; former NFF President and CAF Presidential Special Adviser Amaju Pinnick; and CAF Acting General Secretary Samson Adamu.
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The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed that the 48th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football will hold in October this year, bringing together leading football administrators from across the continent.
According to the statement, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has approved Nigeria’s bid to host both the CAF General Assembly and this year’s CAF Awards ceremony.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved Nigeria’s bid to host the 2026 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards, along with the 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly.
According to a statement from the Nigeria Football Federation, the approval was reached during the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, after a meeting between President Tinubu and CAF President Patrice Motsepe.
The meeting had in attendance key football and government figures, including Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, NFF President Ibrahim Gusau, former NFF boss and CAF presidential adviser Amaju Pinnick, and CAF Acting General Secretary Samson Adamu.
The NFF confirmed that the 48th CAF General Assembly will be held in October this year, bringing together presidents of all 54 CAF member associations, officials from regional unions, and other top football administrators across Africa. The event is one of the continent’s most important football governance meetings.
The CAF Awards ceremony, also approved for Nigeria to host, is one of African football’s most prestigious nights, celebrating outstanding players, coaches, and teams across the continent.
In the most recent edition held in Rabat, Morocco, on November 19, 2025, Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi won African Men’s Player of the Year, ahead of Mohamed Salah and Victor Osimhen. Hakimi’s standout season with Paris Saint-Germain, including success in the UEFA Champions League and Ligue 1, earned him the honour.
Other winners included goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, young talent Othmane Maamma, and women’s standout Ghizlane Chebbak, who claimed the Women’s Player of the Year award after her performances at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria still made strong impressions at the ceremony, with Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie retaining her Goalkeeper of the Year title. The Nigerian women’s national team also picked up the National Team of the Year award after another impressive campaign.
Nigeria has hosted the CAF Awards four times before, with Lagos staging the most recent edition in January 2015 at the Eko Hotel Convention Centre. That ceremony saw Ivory Coast legend Yaya Touré win his fourth straight African Player of the Year award, equalling the record held by Samuel Eto’o.
It also marked a breakthrough moment for Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala, who won her first Women’s Player of the Year award on home soil before going on to become one of Africa’s most decorated female footba
