CAF has moved its ceremony forward to 2 December in Lagos, where Achraf Hakimi, the reigning holder, is tipped as favourite by beIN Sports after a hat-trick and two assists with Paris Saint-Germain at Le Havre.
The Confederation of African Football announced on Tuesday that the CAF Awards 2026 will be held on Wednesday 2 December in Lagos, Nigeria, five days earlier than the initially planned date of 7 December, beIN Sports reports. The Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco right-back, last year’s winner, therefore puts his African Player of the Year title on the line earlier than expected.
The details were confirmed by Le Soleil: the ceremony will take place at the Professor Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Arts (National Theatre), with kick-off at 18:00 GMT. It marks the return of the CAF Awards to Lagos for the first time since 2014. Eighteen categories will be rewarded, with the African Player of the Year and African Women’s Player of the Year titles as the highlight.
A favourite arriving with solid results
Hakimi arrives as the favourite. He reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup with Morocco and won back-to-back Champions League titles with PSG, according to beIN Sports.
On Friday, in PSG’s emphatic win at Le Havre (5-1), Hakimi finished with three goals and two assists. His first goal, initially ruled out for offside, was eventually awarded after a video review, Sport.fr reports.
Hakimi’s main rivals
He notably faces his compatriots Ismaël Saibari (Bayern Munich) and Brahim Díaz (Real Madrid). Three Senegalese players are also in the running: Ismaïla Sarr (Crystal Palace), Pape Gueye (Villarreal) and Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr).
The list is completed by Ivory Coast’s Amad Diallo (Manchester United), DR Congo’s Yoane Wissa (Newcastle United), Ghana’s Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City) and South Africa’s Teboho Mokoena.
The vote before the Lagos ceremony
The outcome is set for 2 December, but the vote takes place beforehand: the window that opened on 5 November 2026 closes on 20 November, according to Le Soleil. The ballot therefore ends twelve days before the ceremony.
The vote also covers the African Women’s Player of the Year title. For the African Player of the Year, it closes on 20 November 2026, before the ceremony on 2 December.