Burna Boy and Tems have been nominated at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards after MTV released this year's nominees without its Best Afrobeats category.

Burna Boy received two nominations for "Dai Dai," his FIFA World Cup song with singer Shakira. The record was nominated for Best Collaboration and Best Latin, placing the Nigerian star in two international categories outside the now-absent Afrobeats field.

Tems picked up a Best R&B nomination for "Raindance," her collaboration with British rapper Dave. She will compete against Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Kehlani, Mariah the Scientist, and Kali Uchis.

The nominations come as MTV omitted Best Afrobeats from the 2026 lineup. The category was introduced in 2023, when Rema and Selena Gomez won the inaugural award for "Calm Down." Tyla won the category in 2024 with "Water" and retained it in 2025 with "Push 2 Start," making her the only two-time winner before the category's removal.

MTV has not publicly explained why the category was removed. Reports also show that several other categories, including Best Rock, Best Group, Best Album, Video for Good, Best Long-form Video, and Song of the Summer, are missing from this year's nominations, while Best Dance has returned.

The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards will be held on September 27 at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, with fan voting open in most categories until September 25.