Lagos is stepping up preparations to host African football’s biggest night, with CAF officials on the ground to inspect the proposed venue for the 2026 Awards.
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Officials of the Lagos State Sports Commission have received a delegation from the Confederation of African Football in Lagos as part of preparations for the 2026 CAF Awards.
The CAF team visited the proposed venue for an inspection ahead of the ceremony, which will bring together some of the biggest names in African football. Officials of the Lagos State Sports Commission guided the delegation around the venue and received feedback on the preparations.
Wole Soyinka Centre Pencilled In For The Gala
Lagos State authorities had earlier confirmed the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, formerly the National Theatre in Iganmu, as the venue pencilled in to host the event. Hosting the ceremony celebrates Africa’s outstanding footballers, coaches, clubs, national teams and administrators, and further enhances Nigeria’s profile as a destination for major continental sporting events. Fans following Nigeria’s football calendar can also check fixtures and offers via the Bet9ja promotions page. (Betting advertisement, 18+ only)
The inspection is part of efforts to ensure that the venue and facilities meet the required standards for an event of such continental importance. Lagos State authorities said preparations were ongoing, with attention being given to every detail ahead of the ceremony.
A Big Night For Nigerian Football On Home Soil
Lagos is expected to host the 2026 CAF Awards as the state continues preparations to stage what is expected to be a major event on the African football calendar, with the occasion also carrying extra significance given the strong recent showing of Nigerian players on the continental individual honours list.
Did You Know?
- Six Nigerian players have won the men’s African Footballer of the Year award: Rashidi Yekini, Emmanuel Amunike, Nwankwo Kanu (twice), Victor Ikpeba, Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman.
- The award was first handed out by France Football magazine in 1970, when Mali’s Salif Keita became the inaugural winner, before CAF took over the prize in 1992.
- Samuel Eto’o and Yaya Toure share the record for the most wins of the men’s award, with four apiece.
- The reigning champions heading into the 2026 ceremony are Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi and Ghizlane Chebbak, who won the men’s and women’s prizes respectively at the 2025 edition in Morocco.
- Osimhen and Lookman, this year’s leading Nigerian contenders, have won the last two editions of the men’s award between them, in 2023 and 2024.
- The women’s African Footballer of the Year category was introduced in 2001, nearly a decade after the men’s CAF award began.
- The Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, the venue pencilled in for the ceremony, was formerly known as the National Theatre, one of Lagos’s most recognisable landmarks.
