President Bola Tinubu
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has thrown his weight behind Nigeria’s bid to host the 2026 CAF Awards as the country pushes to stage two major events on the African football calendar.
The endorsement was disclosed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in a statement confirming that the President also approved Nigeria’s proposal to host the 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly later this year.
Tinubu made the announcement during the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, after a meeting with Confederation of African Football (CAF) President, Patrice Motsepe.
Others present at the meeting included Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Acting CAF General Secretary Samson Adamu, NFF President Ibrahim Gusau, and former NFF President Amaju Pinnick.
The CAF Ordinary General Assembly, scheduled for October, is expected to attract top football administrators from across Africa, including delegates from CAF’s 54 member associations and representatives of its six zonal unions.
Widely regarded as one of the biggest events in African football, the CAF Awards celebrates the continent’s finest players, coaches, and football personalities each year.
Nigeria last hosted the ceremony in January 2017, when Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez won the men’s African Player of the Year award, while Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala claimed the women’s prize.
At the 2025 edition held in Rabat, Morocco, Achraf Hakimi and Ghizlane Chebbak emerged as winners of the men’s and women’s African Footballer of the Year awards respectively.
Nigeria has also enjoyed recent success at the awards, with Victor Osimhen winning the men’s top prize in 2023 before Ademola Lookman claimed the honour in 2024. Oshoala also extended her dominance in women’s football by securing her sixth continental title in 2023.
CAF is expected to announce the final host city for both the General Assembly and the 2026 CAF Awards in the coming months.
