Nigerian Afrobeats stars Burna Boy and Tems have secured nominations at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), with Burna Boy earning two nods and Tems receiving one.
The nominations were announced on Tuesday ahead of the 2026 VMAs, scheduled to take place on September 27 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, United States.
Burna Boy’s two nominations came from his collaboration with Colombian superstar Shakira on their song, “Dai Dai.”
The track earned a nomination for Best Collaboration, where it will compete against songs by Clipse, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T and Malice; French Montana and Max B; Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter; PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson; and Teyana Taylor and Lucky Daye.
“Dai Dai” also received a nomination in the Best Latin category, putting Burna Boy in contention alongside leading Latin music acts including Bad Bunny, Anitta, Shakira, KAROL G and Rosalía.
Tems, meanwhile, was nominated for Best R&B for her collaboration with British rapper Dave on “Raindance.”
The Nigerian singer-songwriter faces competition from Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Kehlani, and Mariah the Scientist and Kali Uchis.
The nominations mark another major international recognition for both Nigerian stars, particularly Burna Boy, whose collaboration with Shakira has continued to attract global attention.
However, the 2026 nominations have also drawn attention for the absence of the Best Afrobeats category.
The category, introduced by MTV in 2023, had featured prominently in the previous three editions of the awards.
South African singer Tyla won the award in 2024 for “Water” and again in 2025 for “Push 2 Start.” Nigerian artists Burna Boy, Wizkid, Rema, Tems and Asake were among the nominees in the 2025 edition.
Rema and Selena Gomez won the inaugural Best Afrobeats award in 2023 for their global hit “Calm Down.”
The omission of the category means Afrobeats artists will compete across broader categories at this year’s ceremony, with Burna Boy’s nominations coming in Best Collaboration and Best Latin, while Tems is recognised in Best R&B.
Elsewhere, Madonna leads the 2026 nominations with 11 nods, followed by Taylor Swift with nine.
The Video of the Year category features Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, GENER8ION, Madonna, Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift.
The Artist of the Year nominees include Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Madonna, Morgan Wallen, Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift.
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The 2026 MTV VMAs will air live on CBS, with a simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+. Fans can vote in most categories daily until September 25 at 6 p.m. ET.
For Burna Boy and Tems, the nominations add to their growing list of international accolades and further underline the expanding global presence of Nigerian music.
Full list of major 2026 MTV VMA nominees
Video of the Year
– Ariana Grande — “hate that i made you love me”
– Bruno Mars — “I Just Might”
– GENER8ION — “STORM starring Yung Lean”
– Madonna — “Confessions II – The Film”
– Sabrina Carpenter — “Tears”
– Taylor Swift — “The Fate of Ophelia”
Artist of the Year
– Ariana Grande
– Bruno Mars
– Madonna
– Morgan Wallen
– Sabrina Carpenter
– Taylor Swift
Song of the Year
– BTS — “Swim”
– Ella Langley — “Choosin’ Texas”
– HUNTR/X — “Golden”
– Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter — “Bring Your Love”
– Olivia Dean — “Man I Need”
– PinkPantheress & Zara Larsson — “Stateside”
– RAYE — “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!”
Best Collaboration
– Clipse, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T & Malice — “Chains & Whips”
– French Montana & Max B — “Ever Since U Left Me”
– Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter — “Bring Your Love”
– PinkPantheress & Zara Larsson — “Stateside”
– Shakira & Burna Boy — “Dai Dai”
– Teyana Taylor & Lucky Daye — “Hard Part”
Best R&B
– Bruno Mars — “I Just Might”
– Chris Brown — “It Depends/Obvious”
– Dave & Tems — “Raindance”
– Justin Bieber — “YUKON”
– Kehlani — “Folded”
– Mariah the Scientist & Kali Uchis — “Is It a Crime”
Best Latin
– Anitta with Shakira — “Choka Choka”
– Bad Bunny — “NUEVAYoL”
– Fuerza Regida — “TU SANCHO”
– KAROL G — “Papasito”
– Rosalía ft. Yahritza Y Su Esencia — “La Perla”
– Ryan Castro, Kapo & GANGSTA — “LA VILLA”
– Shakira & Burna Boy — “Dai Dai”
The 2026 MTV VMAs will be held on September 27 in Los Angeles, with winners to be determined through voting in most categories.
