Burna Boy and Tems Bag Three Nominations at 2026 MTV VMAs

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Nigerian music stars Burna Boy and Tems will fly the country’s flag at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards after earning three nominations between them.

Burna Boy leads Nigeria’s representation with two nominations for his collaboration with Colombian superstar Shakira on “Dai Dai,” while Tems earned a nomination for her collaboration with British rapper Dave, “Raindance.”

The nominations were announced on August 18, setting up another major international moment for two of Nigeria’s biggest music exports.

Burna Boy’s “Dai Dai” is competing in both Best Collaboration and Best Latin, while Tems is nominated in the Best R&B category.

Interestingly, this year’s nominations do not include a Best Afrobeats category, despite the genre’s growing influence worldwide. The category had featured in previous editions of the VMAs.

Burna Boy’s World Cup Collaboration Gets Two Nods

Burna Boy’s nominations come from “Dai Dai,” his collaboration with Shakira that has also been associated with the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The song faces competition in Best Collaboration from major names including Clipse and Kendrick Lamar, Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson, and Teyana Taylor and Lucky Daye.

It also earned a place in the Best Latin category alongside songs from Bad Bunny, Karol G, Anitta and Shakira, Rosalía, Fuerza Regida, and Ryan Castro, Kapo and Gangsta.

For Burna Boy, the nominations add another major international accolade to a career that has increasingly placed Nigerian music at the centre of global pop culture.

Tems Lands Best R&B Nomination With Dave

Tems will compete for Best R&B with “Raindance,” her collaboration with British rapper Dave.

The Nigerian singer faces a strong field that includes Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Kehlani, and Mariah the Scientist and Kali Uchis.

Tems has continued to build a strong international reputation through collaborations and solo releases, and the VMA nomination gives her another opportunity to compete among some of the biggest names in contemporary R&B.

Madonna Leads the 2026 MTV VMA Nominations

While Burna Boy and Tems headline the Nigerian contingent, Madonna is the biggest nominee overall.

The pop icon leads the 2026 VMA nominations with 11 nods, followed by Taylor Swift with nine. Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter each have seven nominations, while Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson have five apiece.

Madonna’s nominations include major categories such as Video of the Year, Artist of the Year and Song of the Year, while Swift is also competing across several of the night’s biggest categories.

Swift could make history with a win. She is currently tied with Beyoncé as the most-awarded artist in VMA history with 30 wins, meaning another victory would give her the record outright.

Biggest 2026 MTV VMA Categories

Video of the Year

Ariana Grande — “Hate That I Made You Love Me”
Bruno Mars — “I Just Might”
GENER8ION featuring Yung Lean — “Storm”
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 and Sabrina Carpenter — “Bring Your Love”
Olivia Dean — “Man I Need”
PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson — “Stateside”
Raye — “Where Is My Husband!!”

Best New Artist

Bella Kay
CORTIS
Magnus Ferrell
Malcolm Todd
Myles Smith
Sienna Spiro
Stella Lefty

Best Collaboration

Clipse, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T and Malice — “Chains & Whips”
French Montana and Max B — “Ever Since U Left Me”
Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter — “Bring Your Love”
PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson — “Stateside”
Shakira and Burna Boy — “Dai Dai”
Teyana Taylor and Lucky Daye — “Hard Part”

Best Pop

Ariana Grande — “Hate That I Made You Love Me”
Charli xcx — “SS26”
LISA — “Dream” featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi
Olivia Rodrigo — “Drop Dead”
Sabrina Carpenter — “House Tour”
Tate McRae — “Nobody’s Girl”
Taylor Swift — “The Fate of Ophelia”

Best Hip-Hop

Cardi B featuring Kehlani — “Safe”
Don Toliver — “E85”
Drake — “Janice STFU”
Megan Thee Stallion — “Lover Girl”
Travis Scott — “Dumbo”
Tyler, the Creator — “Sugar on My Tongue”

Best R&B

Bruno Mars — “I Just Might”
Chris Brown — “It Depends/Obvious”
Dave and Tems — “Raindance”
Justin Bieber — “Yukon”
Kehlani — “Folded”
Mariah the Scientist and Kali Uchis — “Is It a Crime”

Best Alternative

Geese — “Taxes”
MGK and Fred Durst — “Fix Ur Face”
Noah Kahan — “The Great Divide”
Olivia Rodrigo — “The Cure”
sombr — “Homewrecker”
Tame Impala — “Dracula”
Twenty One Pilots — “Drag Path”

Best Dance

Bebe Rexha and Faithless — “New Religion”
Harry Styles — “Aperture”
Lady Gaga and Doechii — “Runway”
Madonna — “Confessions II – The Film”
PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson — “Stateside”
Slayyyter — “Dance…”
Tate McRae — “Nobody’s Girl”

Best Latin

Anitta with Shakira — “Choka Choka”
Bad Bunny — “NUEVAYoL”
Fuerza Regida — “Tu Sancho”
Karol G — “Papasito”
Rosalía featuring Yahritza y Su Esencia — “La Perla”
Ryan Castro, Kapo and Gangsta — “La Villa”
Shakira and Burna Boy — “Dai Dai”

Best K-Pop

BLACKPINK — “Jump”
BTS — “Swim”
CORTIS — “REDRED”
KATSEYE — “Pinky Up”
LE SSERAFIM featuring J-Hope — “Spaghetti”
LISA — “Dream” featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi

Best Country

Ella Langley — “Choosin’ Texas”
Kacey Musgraves — “Dry Spell”
Lainey Wilson — “Somewhere Over Laredo”
Luke Combs — “Back in the Saddle”
Shaboozey — “Cowgirl”
Stella Lefty — “Boston”
Tucker Wetmore — “Brunette”

Best Direction

Ariana Grande — “Hate That I Made You Love Me”
Bruno Mars — “I Just Might”
GENER8ION featuring Yung Lean — “Storm”
Madonna — “Confessions II – The Film”
Sabrina Carpenter — “House Tour”
Taylor Swift — “Opalite”

Best Art Direction

Charli xcx — “SS26”
Lady Gaga and Doechii — “Runway”
Madonna — “Confessions II – The Film”
PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson — “Stateside”
sombr — “My Body Isn’t Ready”
Taylor Swift — “The Fate of Ophelia”

Best Cinematography

A$AP Rocky — “Punk Rocky”
Ariana Grande — “Hate That I Made You Love Me”
LISA — “Dream” featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi
Madonna — “Confessions II – The Film”
Shaboozey — “Cowgirl”
Taylor Swift — “The Fate of Ophelia”

Best Editing

Ariana Grande — “Hate That I Made You Love Me”
Bruno Mars — “I Just Might”
LISA — “Dream” featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi
Madonna — “Confessions II – The Film”
Sabrina Carpenter — “House Tour”
Taylor Swift — “The Fate of Ophelia”

Best Choreography

GENER8ION featuring Yung Lean — “Storm”
Harry Styles — “Dance No More”
KATSEYE — “Pinky Up”
Madonna — “Confessions II – The Film”
Tate McRae — “Nobody’s Girl”
Taylor Swift — “The Fate of Ophelia”

Best Visual Effects

Ariana Grande — “Hate That I Made You Love Me”
Jisoo and Zayn — “Eyes Closed”
Madonna — “Confessions II – The Film”
PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson — “Stateside”
Raye featuring Hans Zimmer — “Click Clack Symphony”
Taylor Swift — “The Fate of Ophelia”

When and Where Will the 2026 MTV VMAs Hold?

The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards will take place on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles.

The ceremony is scheduled to air live from 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on CBS and MTV, with streaming available on Paramount+ in the United States. The show will also become available globally on Paramount+ and MTV the following day.

The return to Los Angeles marks the VMAs’ first West Coast edition since 2017.

For Nigerian fans, the biggest question will be whether Burna Boy and Tems can turn their nominations into Moon Person trophies. With “Dai Dai” competing in two categories and Tems joining a heavyweight Best R&B lineup, Nigeria has plenty to watch for when the awards night arrives.

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