The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially granted Morocco the privilege of hosting the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), replacing Guinea, who lost hosting rights due to concerns about infrastructure and facilities. In a surprising move, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda have secured the rights to host the 2027 tournament jointly.
Morocco’s Second AFCON Hosting:
Morocco will host the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for the second time, with their previous hosting dating back to 1988. The decision to award Morocco the 2025 tournament came after Algeria, Zambia, and a joint bid from Benin and Nigeria withdrew their bids, making Morocco the clear favorite. Morocco sees this as a significant step toward their aspiration to co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Portugal and Spain.
East African Joint Bid Success: The joint bid from Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda for the 2027 edition marks a historic return of AFCON to the East African region, the first since 1976. This victory came as a surprise as they outperformed Botswana, Egypt, and Senegal in the vote. Algeria, initially a candidate, withdrew from consideration.
CAF President’s Perspective: CAF President Patrice Motsepe emphasized the importance of spreading the tournament across various regions to contribute to football development.
AFCON Hosting History: AFCON hosting has seen a series of changes in the past decade, including South Africa stepping in for Libya in 2013 and Cameroon replacing Egypt in 2019. Ivory Coast’s hosting of the 2023 event has been postponed by six months due to concerns about the rainy season in West Africa.
Upcoming AFCON: The next Africa Cup of Nations finals will take place from January 13 to February 11.
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