Madonna Leads 2026 MTV VMA Nominations as Afrobeats Category Disappears
Madonna has emerged as the most-nominated artist at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, earning 11 nominations as MTV unveiled this year’s field on Tuesday, August 18. Taylor Swift follows with nine nominations, while Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter have seven each.
Madonna is nominated for Video of the Year, Artist of the Year and Song of the Year, alongside categories covering collaboration, dance and several technical disciplines. Her 11 nominations extend a VMA career that has now touched every decade of her recording history.
Swift is close behind with nine nominations. If she wins even one award this year, she will move ahead of Madonna and Beyoncé to become the most-awarded artist in VMA history.
The nominations also include major recognition for African artists, although in a noticeably different way from recent editions.
Burna Boy is nominated twice with Shakira for “Dai Dai,” appearing in both Best Collaboration and Best Latin. Nigerian singer Tems is also nominated in Best R&B alongside Dave for “Raindance.”
But one of the most notable changes in this year’s field is what is missing.
MTV has not included a Best Afrobeats category in the 2026 nominations announced so far, despite introducing the award in 2023 and presenting it in each of the past three ceremonies. Pitchfork, citing the full nominations announcement, lists Best Afrobeats among several categories absent this year, alongside Best Rock, Best Album, Best Group and Best Pop Artist.
The omission is significant for African music.
The Best Afrobeats category had become one of the VMAs’ clearest formal acknowledgements of the international growth of African pop. Rema and Selena Gomez won the inaugural award in 2023 with “Calm Down,” while South African star Tyla won in both 2024 and 2025.
Its absence does not mean African artists have disappeared from the VMAs. Burna Boy and Tems are instead competing in established global genre categories, while “Dai Dai” places a Nigerian artist inside both the Latin and collaboration fields.
That gives this year’s nominations an unusual contrast: African artists remain visible internationally, but the dedicated category created specifically for Afrobeats is no longer part of the announced 2026 awards slate.
MTV has not publicly explained the decision to omit Best Afrobeats.
Elsewhere, the 2026 field includes 26 first-time nominees. The Best Dance category is also returning for the first time in seven years.
The ceremony will take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on September 27 and will air live on CBS, simulcast on MTV and stream on Paramount+ in the United States. MTV’s official website has now opened fan voting for the nominated categories.
