Nigeria will host the 48th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on November 21, bringing the continent’s football administrators and decision-makers to Abuja.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe announced the development during a press briefing in Johannesburg, describing Nigeria as a “proud football nation” and explaining that the decision reflects the country’s importance to African football.
“We’re going to meet in Abuja in Nigeria for the Ordinary General Assembly in November,” Motsepe said.
“Nigeria is a proud football nation, and there’s a reason why I took it to Nigeria, and there’s a reason why I’m looking at some of the countries in Africa because we have to do something very special in every one of the 54 countries on the continent, as much as we have to do something special in South Africa, in Kenya, in Cameroon, and all over the continent.”
The CAF General Assembly is the highest decision-making body of African football, bringing together presidents of football associations and representatives from the continent’s 54 member associations to deliberate on governance, competitions and the future direction of the game.
CAF, in a statement on its website, thanked the Federal Government and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for accepting to host the event.
“CAF is grateful to the government of Nigeria and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for their cooperation and partnership.”
“The 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly is expected to be a huge success and will contribute substantially to the development and growth of Football on the African Continent.”
Held annually, the General Assembly serves as the “Parliament of African Football,” where member associations review competitions, approve budgets and audited accounts, and vote on key issues affecting the game. Each member association has one vote. Last year’s edition took place in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Motsepe Laments Nigeria’s World Cup Absence
Meanwhile, Motsepe expressed disappointment over Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, describing the tournament as incomplete without the Super Eagles.
“I keep telling my Nigerian friends, you know, a World Cup for me without Nigeria, without Cameroon and many others is incomplete because Nigeria has always made us proud,” he said.
Nigeria missed a second consecutive World Cup after finishing behind South Africa in Group C of the African qualifiers before losing to DR Congo in the continental playoff final.
DR Congo eventually secured one of Africa’s places at the tournament through the Intercontinental Playoffs, helping the continent field a record 10 teams at the expanded 2026 World Cup.
The Super Eagles’ absence marked the first time since their World Cup debut in 1994 that Nigeria failed to qualify for two consecutive editions.
Motsepe, however, hailed the overall performance of African teams at the tournament, noting that nine of the continent’s 10 representatives progressed to the Round of 32.
“Significant progress and successes were achieved by the African National Teams at the FIFA World Cup 2026, and I am very proud of their performances.
“The nine African National Teams that qualified from the Group Stage to the Round of 32 made history at the FIFA World Cup 2026, as this is 90 per cent of the African national teams that participated and is the highest percentage to qualify to date.
“The previous percentages of the African national teams to qualify for the knockout stage were 40 per cent in 2022, none in 2018, and 40 per cent in 2014. We have also identified specific areas where there is room for improvement, and I am confident that the coaches, technical teams and players will implement the necessary improvements.”
He reaffirmed CAF’s commitment to strengthening football across the continent.
“We remain confident that an African nation will be Champions of the FIFA World Cup,” the CAF president said.
