President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved Nigeria’s hosting of the 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly and the 2026 CAF Awards ceremony, setting the stage for one of African football’s biggest gatherings later this year.
The decision was finalised during the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, where Tinubu held talks with Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe.
Nigeria will host the CAF Ordinary General Assembly in October, while the CAF Awards ceremony is also expected to return to the country for the first time since 2017.
The event will mark the fifth time Nigeria has staged the prestigious awards ceremony after previous editions in Lagos and Abuja.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Nigeria Football Federation president Ibrahim Musa Gusau, Special Adviser to the CAF president Amaju Pinnick and CAF Acting General Secretary Samson Adamu
Among those present during the Nairobi meeting were Nigeria Football Federation president Ibrahim Musa Gusau, former NFF boss and CAF adviser Amaju Pinnick, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu and CAF Acting General Secretary Samson Adamu.
Nigeria’s hosting of the CAF Awards could become even more significant if a Nigerian player reclaims the continent’s biggest individual prize.
Victor Osimhen is expected to be among the leading contenders for the CAF Men’s Player of the Year award following another prolific campaign with Galatasaray.
Hakimi, Osimhen, Sane, Salah.
The Super Eagles striker played a key role in helping Galatasaray secure a fourth consecutive Turkish Super Lig title and is widely expected to challenge strongly once again for Africa’s top individual honour.
Osimhen finished runner-up at the 2025 CAF Awards in Morocco behind Achraf Hakimi, who claimed the Men’s Player of the Year prize after an outstanding year for both club and country.
Another major contender is expected to be Brahim Diaz, who enjoyed a strong campaign and was named Player of the Tournament at the last Africa Cup of Nations.
Both Hakimi and Diaz are likely to arrive in Nigeria as serious challengers once again when the continent’s elite gather for the ceremony later this year.
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Nigeria could also have another strong contender in Ademola Lookman.
The Super Eagles forward has continued his impressive rise after another standout season at club level and a strong AFCON campaign.
Lookman previously won the CAF Men’s Player of the Year award in 2024, while Osimhen claimed the honour in 2023, meaning Nigeria has produced the last two winners before Hakimi’s triumph.
That recent dominance has raised hopes that the award could return to Nigerian hands on home soil.
Super Falcons of Nigeria
The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations is also expected to heavily influence the women’s categories at the CAF Awards.
Nigeria’s Nigeria women’s national football team will head into the tournament aiming to defend the title they won after defeating Morocco women’s national football team 3-2 in the previous final.
A successful WAFCON campaign could strengthen the chances of several Nigerian stars finishing on the podium in the women’s categories.
At the previous awards ceremony, Moroccan star Ghizlane Chebbak defeated Nigeria’s Rasheedat Ajibade to win the Women’s Player of the Year prize.
The CAF Ordinary General Assembly remains one of the most important meetings in African football, bringing together presidents of CAF’s 54 member associations, zonal union representatives and senior football administrators from across the continent.
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The previous edition was held in Kinshasa, Congo in 2025.
With Nigeria now preparing to host both the congress and the CAF Awards, the country is set to become the centre of African football discussions later this year — both on and off the pitch.
