CAF sends 15-member team to Nigeria for final check before awards and assembly
A 15-member CAF team is due in Lagos on Friday for a final check on venues for the CAF Awards on 7 December and the General Assembly in Abuja on 21 November.
By John Christian Mmaduabuchi, Chief Editor
· 3 min read · Lagos
- A 15-member CAF delegation led by Dr Christian Emeruwa was due in Lagos on Friday, 16 October 2026, for a final inspection of venues.
- The 2026 CAF Awards will be held at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts in Lagos on Monday, 7 December 2026.
- CAF's 48th Ordinary General Assembly will take place at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja, on Saturday, 21 November 2026.
The gist in 30 seconds
- A 15-member CAF delegation led by Dr Christian Emeruwa was due in Lagos on Friday, 16 October 2026, for a final inspection of venues.
- The 2026 CAF Awards will be held at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts in Lagos on Monday, 7 December 2026.
- CAF's 48th Ordinary General Assembly will take place at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja, on Saturday, 21 November 2026.
A 15-member Confederation of African Football (CAF) delegation was due in Lagos on Friday afternoon, 16 October 2026, for its second and final inspection of the venues Nigeria will use for the 2026 CAF Awards and CAF’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly, Premium Times, Complete Sports and Blueprint reported.
The awards will be held in Lagos on Monday, 7 December 2026, and the General Assembly in Abuja on Saturday, 21 November 2026.
Why it matters
The CAF Awards honour the best players, coaches and clubs in African football. The ceremony is returning to Nigeria for the first time since January 2017, when the country last hosted the gala, TheCable reported.
The awards cover men’s and women’s football, with prizes including Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Club of the Year, Premium Times reported.
Who is inspecting, and where?
The delegation is led by Dr Christian Emeruwa, CAF’s Head of Safety and Security. In Lagos, it is due to visit the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, which will host the awards, along with Eko Hotel & Suites and Murtala Muhammed International Airport, and to meet Lagos State Government officials, the three outlets reported.
In Abuja, the team will inspect the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, which will host the General Assembly, the Transcorp Hilton Hotel and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. It will also pay courtesy visits to the Chairman and the Director-General of the National Sports Commission.
A six-member Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) team led by Dr Ademola Olajire, the federation’s director of communications, will accompany the inspectors in both cities, according to Premium Times and Blueprint. The reports did not say how long the visit will last.
How did Nigeria get the events?
CAF’s Executive Committee confirmed the dates at a virtual meeting chaired by its president, Patrice Motsepe, on Friday, 2 October, Premium Times reported. “The CAF EXCO also confirmed that the CAF Awards 2026 will take place in Lagos, Nigeria, on Monday, 7 December 2026,” CAF said in a statement on Saturday, 3 October 2026. The same statement said Nigeria would host the General Assembly on 21 November.
A first inspection took place from 31 July to 4 August. A five-member CAF team led by Emeruwa visited the same airports, hotels and venues in Lagos and Abuja, The Eagle Online reported at the time, citing an NFF statement. Complete Sports said that visit ended with an agreement on “sustained communication to foster mutual understanding” between CAF and the hosts.
What is the Wole Soyinka Centre?
The awards venue is the former National Arts Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos, built for the FESTAC ’77 festival. It was recommissioned under its new name on 1 October 2025 after a renovation backed mainly by the Bankers’ Committee, ICIR reported. President Bola Tinubu first announced the renaming in July 2024 to honour the Nobel laureate.
What happens next
The inspection covers both cities. CAF’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly is on Saturday, 21 November 2026 at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, and the 2026 CAF Awards follow on Monday, 7 December 2026 at the Wole Soyinka Centre in Lagos.
Sources
We checked this story against these sources. How we check
- Premium Times: CAF sends 15-man team to Nigeria for final inspection ahead of General Assembly, awards (15 Oct 2026)
- Complete Sports: CAF Deploys Inspection Team To Nigeria Ahead Of Awards, General Assembly (15 Oct 2026)
- Blueprint: General Assembly/CAF Awards: CAF's 15-man team storm Nigeria, to inspect facilities (15 Oct 2026)
- CAF: CAF Executive Committee approves 2026-2030 CAF Competitions Calendar, CAF Event Dates and Amendments to CAF Interclub Competitions Regulations (3 Oct 2026)
- Premium Times: CAF confirms date for 2026 Awards in Lagos (4 Oct 2026)
- TheCable: Lagos to host CAF Awards December 7 (4 Oct 2026)
- The Eagle Online: CAF concludes inspection of Nigeria's facilities for Awards, OGA (5 Aug 2026)
- ICIR: Here's what to know about National Theatre renamed Wole Soyinka Centre (3 Oct 2025)
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John Christian Mmaduabuchi is a Nigerian filmmaker, creative director, and media professional with extensive experience in digital storytelling, visual journalism, and contemporary media. His Journalism interests span Nigerian and African current affairs, entertainment, culture, technology, lifestyle, media, and the people shaping public conversation. With a background in film direction and documentary production, he brings a strong visual and narrative perspective to editorial work, with particular attention to context, clarity, and compelling storytelling. John is also a creative entrepreneur focused on storytelling, entertainment, culture, and digital content. His professional experience across directing, cinematography, editing, media strategy, and emerging AI technologies gives him a broad understanding of how stories are created, distributed, and consumed in the digital age. At GistMatrix, John contributes to the development and presentation of timely, engaging, and relevant stories for a contemporary audience. His approach to editorial work is grounded in accuracy, context, responsible storytelling, and a commitment to covering stories that matter.
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