The CAF Awards gala takes place on 7 December 2026 in Lagos, but Nigeria, the host country, has only four nominations, all in women’s or youth women’s categories. Neither Victor Osimhen nor Ademola Lookman features in the main men’s categories.
Lagos will host the CAF Awards ceremony on Monday 7 December 2026, the sixth time Nigeria has organised the gala, according to Waffi TV. Yet the host country will be thinly represented.
No Nigerian player features in the main men’s categories, and no Nigerian club in the Club of the Year categories. No Super Falcon is on the Women’s Player of the Year shortlist. Nigeria has only four nominations: the Super Falcons for Women’s National Team of the Year, Christiana Uzoma (Edo Queens) for Goalkeeper of the Year, and Seimeyeha Janet Akekoromowei (Benfica/Falconets) and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi (Robo Queens/Flamingos) for Young Player of the Year.
A recent legacy left without follow-up
The contrast with recent editions is stark. Victor Osimhen was crowned African Player of the Year in 2023, before Ademola Lookman succeeded him in 2024, Waffi TV recalls. They are the last two African Players of the Year. This year, neither man is among the nominees in the main men’s categories.
Nigeria also has no club in the Club of the Year categories. The Nigerian channel speaks of a near-blackout for the host country.
The 2026 World Cup as backdrop
To explain this absence, CAF officials believe that the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup limited the visibility of Nigerians, again according to Waffi TV. An argument that points back to results on the pitch: Nigeria finished third at AFCON 2025/2026.
For the women, the record is just as dull. The Super Falcons were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2026 AFCON by Cameroon and did not secure their ticket for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, according to the same source. Their presence among the nominated teams comes despite these results.
Youth and goalkeepers in the spotlight
The four Nigerian nominations therefore concern female players. Christiana Uzoma, of Edo Queens, is competing for the Goalkeeper of the Year title. Seimeyeha Janet Akekoromowei (Benfica/Falconets) and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi (Robo Queens/Flamingos) are cited among the young players.
The country can nevertheless point to a history with this gala. In 2005, in Abuja, Perpetua Nkwocha was voted Player of the Year and Mikel Obi Young Player of the Year, Waffi TV recalls. Twenty-one years later, the host country no longer has a nominee in the main men’s categories.