Burna Boy and Tems have secured nominations at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, with Burna Boy earning two nods for his FIFA World Cup collaboration with Shakira and Tems receiving a Best R&B nomination for her track with British rapper Dave. The nominations come as MTV quietly retired the Best Afrobeats category after just three editions, raising questions about the representation of African music at the awards.
Burna Boy's Two Nominations for World Cup Collaboration
According to the official MTV website, Burna Boy received nominations in the Best Collaboration and Best Latin categories for "Dai Dai," his collaboration with Colombian superstar Shakira that served as the official song of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In the Best Collaboration category, "Dai Dai" competes against "Chains & Whips" by Clipse, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T, and Malice; "Ever Since U Left Me" by French Montana and Max B; "Bring Your Love" by Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter; "Stateside" by PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson; and "Hard Part" by Teyana Taylor and Lucky Daye. The Best Latin field includes entries from Anitta featuring Shakira, Bad Bunny, Fuerza Regida, Karol G, Rosalía featuring Yahritza y Su Esencia, and Ryan Castro, Kapo, and GANGSTA.
Tems Earns Best R&B Nomination
Tems received her MTV VMA nomination in the Best R&B category for "Raindance," a collaborative track with British rapper Dave. She is up against Bruno Mars for "I Just Might," Chris Brown for "It Depends/Obvious," Justin Bieber for "YUKON," Kehlani for "Folded," and Mariah the Scientist alongside Kali Uchis for "Is It a Crime." The track has performed strongly in the United Kingdom and internationally, further cementing Tems' presence in mainstream R&B circles.
MTV Drops Best Afrobeats Category After Three Editions
The nominations arrive against the backdrop of MTV removing the Best Afrobeats category from this year's lineup entirely, ending it after just three editions. The category launched in 2023, with Rema and Selena Gomez winning its inaugural award for "Calm Down." South African artist Tyla then claimed back-to-back victories in 2024 and 2025 with "Water" and "Push 2 Start" respectively, the latter triumphing over a field that included Burna Boy, Wizkid, Rema, Tems, and Asake. Tyla's consecutive wins had sparked considerable debate about how African music is categorised at global awards. MTV has offered no public explanation for axing the category. The Best Afrobeats drop is not the only change to this year's show—Best Rock, Best Group, Best Album, Video for Good, Best Long-form Video, and Song of the Summer have all been removed, while the Best Dance category makes a return after a prolonged absence.
2026 VMAs Schedule and Leading Nominees
The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards are scheduled for Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, with the ceremony broadcasting live on CBS and MTV and streaming on Paramount+. Leading this year's nominations is Madonna with 11 nods, followed by Taylor Swift with nine nods. Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter each received seven. Fan voting across 13 categories closes on 25 September. The full nominations list includes Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Collaboration, Best Pop, Best Hip-Hop, Best R&B, Best Alternative, Best Dance, Best Latin, Best K-Pop, Best Country, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Choreography, and Best Visual Effects.
