CAF has confirmed that the CAF Awards 2026 will be held on Monday 7 December in Lagos, Nigeria. Reigning champion Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain) will put his crown on the line, while Pape Gueye (Villarreal CF, Senegal) is among the players in the spotlight.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that the CAF Awards 2026 ceremony will be held on Monday 7 December 2026 in Lagos, Nigeria, according to Afrique sur 7. The event will take place at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, in Iganmu, the former National Theatre inaugurated after major renovations on 1 October 2025.
The announcement marks the return of the CAF Awards to Nigeria for the first time since the 2015 edition, Afrik-Foot reports. The date was set by CAF’s executive committee, chaired by Patrice Motsepe, during a session held on 2 October. It also comes shortly after CAF’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly, scheduled for 21 November 2026 in Abuja, according to Goalterra Africa.
Hakimi, a crown to defend
Achraf Hakimi, the Paris Saint-Germain right-back and Morocco international, is the reigning champion. Winner in 2025 in Rabat, he puts his trophy on the line in the men’s category, Goalterra Africa and Afrique Sports recall.
While awaiting the official list of nominees, the press cites several players in the spotlight. Besides Hakimi, Ismaïla Sarr, Brahim Díaz, Serhou Guirassy and Ivory Coast’s Yan Diomandé are among the names mentioned for nominations, according to Goalterra Africa and NSD Radio. These names remain speculation until CAF unveils its official selection.
Pape Gueye, Pépé’s case
Among the players in the spotlight, Pape Gueye, the Villarreal CF and Senegal midfielder, has received heavyweight support. Nicolas Pépé, the Ivory Coast international forward and Gueye’s teammate at Villarreal, has openly campaigned for his candidacy. “Pape Gueye was the best African player of the season in La Liga, won the AFCON, scored in the final and he is performing. If he wins it, it is totally deserved!”, Pépé told DAZN, in comments relayed by Joueurs SN.
That stance remains a personal opinion and says nothing about CAF’s choice. It does, however, illustrate Gueye’s season: decisive at the AFCON and a scorer in the final, crowned African champion with Senegal and named best African player in La Liga with Villarreal, according to Afrique sur 7 and Foot SN.
A busy calendar
The 7 December ceremony comes just after another eagerly awaited legal date: the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) verdict in the dispute between Senegal and Morocco, expected in late November, according to Afrique sur 7. The outcome of that procedure is not yet known.
Still to come are CAF’s publication of the official list of nominees, then the ceremony on 7 December at the Wole Soyinka Centre in Lagos.