CAF Awards: Lagos date moves up, but Nigeria’s hopes rest on the women

CAF has brought the 2026 CAF Awards in Lagos forward to Wednesday 2 December, and with no Nigerian in either Player of the Year category, the host nation's best hopes on the night now sit with its young women.

The ceremony had been set for 7 December. CAF announced the new date on Tuesday, with the gala staying at the Professor Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Arts, the former National Theatre, from 19:00 WAT.

It is the first time the awards have been staged in Lagos since the 2014 edition, and they will cover 18 categories, headed by the men's and women's Player of the Year.

Why the date moved

CAF gave no official reason. The Guardian Nigeria reported that an unnamed CAF official pointed to concern that European clubs might be reluctant to release players for 7 December, and that the earlier date was needed to make sure nominees could attend.

Voting opened on 5 November and closes on 20 November, so the date change does not touch the shortlists.

Where Nigeria stand

The men's shortlist was a disappointment for the host nation, with Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman both left out, and no Super Falcons player made the women's list either.

Nigeria are still represented elsewhere. Nigeria youth internationals Janet Akekoromowei and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi are nominated for Women's Young Player of the Year, while Edo Queens goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma is on the list for Women's Goalkeeper of the Year.

Adegbuyi was part of the Flamingos squad that Nigeria named for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, a tournament the Flamingos went on to win by beating Japan 2-1 in the final in Rabat on 7 November.

Analysis: The Flamingos' title lands in the middle of the vote

The timing works in Nigeria's favour. The Flamingos became the first African side to win the U-17 Women's World Cup two days after voting opened, which means every voter casts a ballot with that result fresh in the memory.

That does not guarantee a Nigerian winner in the Young Player category, but it makes the nominees harder to overlook. A young Nigerian or a home-based goalkeeper collecting a trophy on a Lagos stage would also say something about where the country's football is producing its winners right now.

For the Super Eagles, the absence from the top category is a reminder of how much ground the men have to make up. Results in Uyo on Friday and in Tanzania next week will not change this shortlist, but they will shape the conversation in the room on 2 December.