The race for the 18th edition of the Headies Awards is officially on, and as expected, some of Afrobeats’ biggest names are right in the middle of the action.
Davido, Wizkid and Burna Boy have emerged among the leading nominees after organisers released the full list for the 2026 edition of the prestigious music awards.
From heavyweight categories such as Song of the Year and Afrobeats Album of the Year to Best Male Artiste, Best Collaboration and Viewers’ Choice, the nomination list has set the stage for another major battle for bragging rights in Nigerian and African music.
This year’s ceremony is scheduled to hold in Canada, where established superstars, fast-rising acts and African music talents from across the continent will compete for the famous Headies plaques.
And if the nominations are anything to go by, the battle lines have already been drawn.
Davido’s ‘With You’ Becomes One Of The Biggest Contenders
For Davido, the 2026 Headies could prove to be another major night.
His collaboration with Omah Lay, With You, appears repeatedly across some of the ceremony’s most competitive categories.
The song earned nominations for Song of the Year, Afrobeats Single of the Year, Best Recording of the Year, Best Headies Collaboration and Viewers’ Choice.
The music video for the song also secured a place in the Music Video of the Year category.
Davido’s album, 5ive, will also battle for the Afrobeats Album of the Year award against a formidable lineup featuring Wizkid, Burna Boy, Omah Lay, BNXN and Adekunle Gold.
Wizkid Enters The Race With ‘Morayo’ And Major Collaborations
Wizkid is also firmly in contention across several categories.
His album, Morayo, earned a nomination for Afrobeats Album of the Year, while the singer is also nominated for Best Male Artiste, Digital Artiste of the Year and Viewers’ Choice.
His collaborations are equally making noise.
MMS, his joint effort with Asake, landed in the Song of the Year category, while Jogodo also earned recognition in Afrobeats Single of the Year.
With some of the industry’s biggest awards on the line, Wizkid will once again find himself competing against both familiar rivals and a new generation of stars eager to take over the spotlight.
Burna Boy Brings ‘No Sign of Weakness’ To The Battle
Burna Boy is also heading into the 18th Headies Awards with strong representation.
His album, No Sign of Weakness, has been nominated for Afrobeats Album of the Year, while Bundle by Bundle secured nominations for Afrobeats Single of the Year and Music Video of the Year.
The Grammy-winning star is also in contention for Best Male Artiste.
But this year’s Best Male Artiste category will be anything but a walk in the park.
Burna Boy will face competition from Wizkid, Rema, Asake, Adekunle Gold, Fola and Mavo — a lineup that captures the collision between Afrobeats’ established kings and the genre’s rapidly rising generation.
The Biggest Battle? Song Of The Year
Perhaps one of the most closely watched categories will be Song of the Year.
The nominees are:
Arike — Kunmie
Hey Jago — Poco Lee, Shoday & Rahman Jago
Hot Body — Ayra Starr
Joy Is Coming — Fido
MMS — Asake & Wizkid
With You — Davido & Omah Lay
It is a category packed with different sounds, fan bases and musical moments.
Will Davido and Omah Lay’s With You take the crown?
Can Asake and Wizkid’s MMS pull off a major victory?
Or could one of the newer generation’s biggest records, such as Arike or Joy Is Coming, upset the industry’s established giants?
The answer will come when the awards are handed out.
Ayra Starr, Tems, Tiwa Savage Lead The Women
The battle among the women is equally stacked.
The Best Female Artiste category features:
Ayra Starr
Qing Madi
Sewa
Tems
Teni
Tiwa Savage
Meanwhile, the R&B categories also bring together some of Nigeria’s strongest female voices, with Tems, Tiwa Savage, Qing Madi and other artistes earning recognition.
Ayra Starr also appears in several major categories, including Song of the Year, Digital Artiste of the Year, Music Video of the Year and Viewers’ Choice, underlining another strong year for the singer.
Next Rated
Away from the established superstars, one of the most anticipated categories remains Next Rated.
This year’s nominees are:
Fido
Fola
Llona
Mavo
Shoday
The category has historically served as a major launching pad for Nigerian artistes, and the 2026 edition could offer another glimpse into the stars expected to dominate the industry in the coming years.
The new generation is also making its presence felt across the nomination list, with artistes such as Fola, Mavo, Kunmie, Fido and Shoday appearing in multiple categories.
Headies Goes Beyond Nigeria
The 2026 nominations also reflect the increasingly continental and global direction of the Headies Awards.
Artistes from Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, DR Congo, Cameroon, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria all earned nominations across regional categories.
The International Artiste of the Year category features global names including Ciara, Dave, Gunna, Jazmine Sullivan, Shenseea and Tiakola.
Meanwhile, Awilo Longomba will be honoured with a place in the Headies Hall of Fame.
A Night Of old Guards, New Stars And Major Bragging Rights
The 2026 Headies Awards is shaping up to be more than just another award ceremony.
It is a collision of generations.
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On one side are the global superstars — Davido, Wizkid and Burna Boy — artistes whose names have become synonymous with Afrobeats’ rise on the world stage.
On the other are a new crop of hungry stars — Fola, Mavo, Kunmie, Fido, Shoday and others — who are beginning to demand their own share of the spotlight.
Then there are artistes like Ayra Starr, Tems, Rema and Asake, who sit somewhere in between: already established, globally recognised and still pushing for even greater dominance.
For fans, the nominations have opened the door to arguments, predictions and, of course, the inevitable question:
Who truly had the biggest year in Nigerian music?
With the full list now out and the ceremony set for Canada, the countdown has officially begun.