The 2026 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards have been brought forward to December 2, following concerns that several nominees could miss the ceremony because of their European club commitments.

The event was originally scheduled for December 7 but has been rescheduled to allow more nominated players to attend.

A CAF official said European clubs were reluctant to release their players for the original date, leaving the governing body with little choice but to adjust the schedule.

“We had no choice really. You do an event, and the winners are not there, or you change [the date] so they can be there,” the official said.

The ceremony will take place at the Professor Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Arts, popularly known as the National Theatre, in Lagos, Nigeria. It will begin at 19:00 local time (18:00 GMT; 20:00 Cairo time).

Lagos will host the awards for the first time since 2014. The ceremony will also provide an opportunity to showcase Nigeria's cultural heritage through dance, music and other artistic performances.

The 2026 edition will recognise excellence in 18 categories, with the CAF Men's Player of the Year and CAF Women's Player of the Year awards expected to headline the event.

Other categories will honour goalkeepers, coaches, emerging talents, clubs and national teams, recognising performances over the year under review.

Voting for the men's and women's categories opened on November 5 and will close on November 20.

National team coaches and captains, CAF's Technical Study Group and selected media personnel are participating in the voting process.

CAF says the system is designed to ensure fairness, transparency, integrity and broad representation across the continent.

Meanwhile, no Nigerian player has been nominated for either the Men's or Women's Player of the Year award for the first time.