Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has declared the state ready to host the 2026 Confederation of African Football Awards as preparations gather momentum for the continental ceremony.
Sanwo-Olu gave the assurance after a five-member CAF delegation inspected the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, popularly known as the National Theatre, designated to host the awards.
The CAF delegation arrived in Nigeria last Thursday to inspect facilities proposed for the organization’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly and annual CAF Awards ceremony.
The team, led by CAF Head of Safety and Security and former Nigeria Football Federation presidential aspirant, Dr Christian Emeruwa, visited the National Theatre.
Other members of the delegation are Mohammed Bakeer, Technology; Inas Ahmed, Travel and Accommodation; Salah Mostafa, Transport; and Hervé Dassoundo, Branding.
Officials of the Lagos State Sports Commission, led by its Director-General, Lekan Fatodu, received the delegation and accompanied the team during the inspection.
Sanwo-Olu said Lagos was committed to ensuring that every aspect of preparations for the continental event was properly handled. He said in a post on X on Monday: “We guided them through the venue and gathered their feedback.
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“Hosting an event of this scale means every single detail counts and our team is working hard behind the scenes to make sure we get it right.
“Lagos is ready and we look forward to putting on a brilliant show for African football.”
Nigeria has previously hosted the CAF Awards on four occasions, with Lagos staging the country’s most recent edition in January 2015.
The 2026 ceremony will therefore bring the event back to Lagos more than a decade after the city last hosted Africa’s football stars.
While Lagos will take centre stage for the awards ceremony honoring the continent’s best players and other outstanding performers, Abuja will host the CAF General Assembly on November 21, 2026.
The CAF delegation had earlier inspected facilities at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Friday.
The team subsequently visited the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, designated to host the Congress, and the Transcorp Hilton Hotel on Saturday.
The Eagle
