Los Angeles, United States (Running Africa) — Nigerian stars Burna Boy and Tems left the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards without a win, despite earning nominations in major categories at the first ceremony since MTV removed its Best Afrobeats award.

Burna Boy was nominated for Best Collaboration alongside Colombian star Shakira for their song “Dai Dai.” The award instead went to Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter for “Bring Your Love.”

Tems competed in Best R&B alongside British rapper Dave for “Raindance,” but the category was won by Bruno Mars for “I Just Might.”

MTV VMAs Drop Best Afrobeats Category

The 2026 ceremony marked the first MTV VMAs since Best Afrobeats was removed from the awards lineup.

MTV introduced the category in 2023 as Afrobeats continued to expand its international audience. The award ran for three editions before being dropped, with MTV not publicly providing a specific reason for the decision.

Despite its removal, African artists continued to feature in other categories, with Burna Boy and Tems among the Nigerian nominees at this year’s ceremony.

Rema and Tyla Previously Won Best Afrobeats

Rema and Selena Gomez won the inaugural Best Afrobeats award in 2023 for their global hit “Calm Down.”

South African singer Tyla followed by winning the category in both 2024 and 2025.

The three editions gave some of Africa’s biggest contemporary artists a dedicated category at one of the global music industry’s most visible awards shows.

African Stars Remain Represented at 2026 MTV VMAs

Burna Boy and Tems ultimately left the 2026 MTV VMAs without awards, but their nominations in Best Collaboration and Best R&B maintained African representation outside a dedicated Afrobeats category.

The ceremony was held on September 27 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with Madonna and Taylor Swift among the night’s major winners.