Nigeria will host the 48th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Abuja on November 21, marking a major milestone for the country’s role in shaping the future of African football.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe announced the decision during a press briefing in Johannesburg, describing Nigeria as a “proud football nation” and praising its enduring influence on the sport across the continent.
“We’re going to meet in Abuja in Nigeria for the Ordinary General Assembly in November,” Motsepe said, adding that CAF is committed to supporting football development in all 54 member associations.
The CAF General Assembly is the highest decision-making body in African football. It brings together presidents of football associations and representatives from CAF’s 54 member nations to deliberate on governance, competitions, finances and the future direction of the game.
CAF thanked the Nigerian government and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for agreeing to host the annual meeting.
In a statement published on its website, CAF said it was grateful for Nigeria’s cooperation and partnership, expressing confidence that the assembly would contribute significantly to the growth and development of football across Africa.
The annual gathering, often described as the “Parliament of African Football”, reviews competitions, adopts budgets and audited accounts, while ensuring every member association has one vote in key decisions. Last year’s edition was held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Motsepe: World Cup Without Nigeria Is Incomplete
Motsepe also expressed disappointment over Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, saying the tournament feels incomplete without the Super Eagles.
“I keep telling my Nigerian friends, a World Cup for me without Nigeria, without Cameroon and many others is incomplete because Nigeria has always made us proud,” he said.
The Super Eagles missed a second successive World Cup after failing to secure the automatic qualification spot in Group C and later losing to DR Congo in the continental playoffs. It marks the first time since making their World Cup debut in 1994 that Nigeria will miss two consecutive editions of the tournament.
African Teams Make Historic Progress
Despite Nigeria’s absence, Motsepe praised Africa’s impressive performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where nine of the continent’s 10 representatives advanced to the Round of 32, the highest qualification rate in African football history.
He described the achievement as “significant progress”, noting that Africa’s teams continue to close the gap with the world’s leading football nations.
Motsepe added that CAF would continue investing in the development of men’s and women’s football, expressing confidence that an African country would eventually win the FIFA World Cup.
