CAF Awards 2026: Ceremony Postponed!

African Player of the Year, best goalkeeper, coach and club: the key honours at this year's ceremony

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CAF Awards 2026: Ceremony Postponed!

The CAF Awards 2026 have a new date and venue details. Lagos will welcome African football's leading figures for a ceremony recognising excellence across eighteen individual and collective categories.

The Confederation of African Football announced on Tuesday, 10 November, that the CAF Awards 2026 will take place on Wednesday, 2 December, rather than the previously scheduled 7 December. The event starts at 7:00 pm in Lagos (6:00 pm GMT, 8:00 pm Cairo time) at the Professor Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Arts, also known as the National Theatre. It marks the awards' return to Nigeria's largest city for the first time since 2014.

🚨 CAF Awards 2026 have been rescheduled to 2 December 2026 in Lagos, Nigeria. 🇳🇬🏆 The ceremony will take place at the iconic National Theatre, bringing together Africa’s finest players, coaches, clubs and football personalities for a night celebrating excellence in African football. 🕖 Time: 19:00 local time (18:00 GMT / 20:00 Cairo time). The CAF Awards return to Lagos for the first time since 2014, with 18 award categories, including the prestigious Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year awards. Voting is currently ongoing from 5 to 20 November. A big night awaits African football! 🌍 #CAFAwards2026 #AfricanFootball
— Micky Jnr (@MickyJnr__) November 10, 2026

African Player of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year

The headline honours are the Men's African Player of the Year award, often called the African Ballon d'Or, and the Women's Player of the Year prize. Defending men's winner Achraf Hakimi is among the nominees alongside Sadio Mané, Brahim Diaz and Amad Diallo.

The ceremony will also recognise the Men's Goalkeeper of the Year and Women's Goalkeeper of the Year. Algeria's Oussama Benbot, Morocco's Yassine Bounou and Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti, Senegal's Édouard Mendy and South Africa's Ronwen Williams are among the men's contenders. Other awards cover young players, coaches and standout performers in CAF interclub competitions.

Club of the Year and National Team of the Year awards

Team achievements will also feature prominently, with honours for African Club of the Year and National Team of the Year, together with corresponding women's football awards. Algerian sides USM Alger and CR Belouizdad have been shortlisted for the men's club prize, while Algeria is among the nominees for the men's national-team distinction.

CAF says that 18 award categories will be recognised in total. However, its announcement of the new date did not provide a complete category-by-category breakdown, so the awards detailed here are the principal confirmed or already nominated honours.

Voting runs from 5 to 20 November

Voting is taking place between 5 and 20 November 2026, involving CAF member associations and clubs, with eligible coaches and national-team captains also invited to vote. CAF says independent monitoring will help safeguard the process. The winners will be announced at the ceremony in Lagos on 2 December.

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