Nigeria’s young stars carry CAF Awards hopes as Lagos ceremony is brought forward

Nigeria’s hopes of success at the 2026 CAF Awards will rest largely on its emerging women’s players after the ceremony was moved forward to Wednesday, 2 December.

The event will take place at the Professor Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Arts, formerly the National Theatre, in Lagos. It will begin at 19:00 WAT.

CAF announced the change on Tuesday, bringing the ceremony forward from its original date of 7 December. The decision does not affect the award shortlists, with voting having opened on 5 November and due to close on 20 November.

CAF has not given an official explanation for the revised schedule. However, The Guardian Nigeria reported that an unnamed CAF official said there were concerns European clubs might be unwilling to release players for the original date. Moving the event earlier was reportedly intended to improve the chances of nominees attending.

This will be the first time the awards have been held in Lagos since 2014. The ceremony will feature 18 categories, including the men’s and women’s Player of the Year awards.

Nigeria’s nominees

Nigeria’s prospects in the main individual awards were weakened by the omission of Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman from the men’s Player of the Year shortlist. No member of the Super Falcons was included among the nominees for the women’s prize.

The country does, however, have representation in other categories.

Nigeria youth internationals Janet Akekoromowei and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi have been nominated for Women’s Young Player of the Year. Christiana Uzoma, the Edo Queens goalkeeper, is shortlisted for Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year.

Adegbuyi was included in the Flamingos squad Nigeria named for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. The team went on to win the tournament, beating Japan 2-1 in the final in Rabat on 7 November.

The timing of that success gives Nigeria’s young nominees a strong recent achievement before voters submit their choices. The Flamingos became the first African team to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, just two days after voting opened.

That victory does not ensure a Nigerian winner in the Young Player of the Year category, but it means the nominees will be considered against the backdrop of a landmark result for the country’s women’s football.

A victory for either a young Nigerian player or a home-based goalkeeper at a ceremony in Lagos would also underline the growing importance of those areas in producing the country’s award contenders.

Nigeria’s men will not be able to alter the shortlist, but their upcoming results could influence the atmosphere around the ceremony. The Super Eagles face matches in Uyo on Friday and in Tanzania next week, before the awards are held on 2 December.