Nigeria loses bid to host AFCON as Morocco, Kenya-Uganda-Tanzania win rights

Nigeria will not be hosting the 2025 nor 2027 editions of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), as other bidding nations were awarded the hostings rights.

Ripples Nigeria recalls that there had been a joint bid between Nigeria and Benin Republic to host the 2025 Cup of Nations after Guinea was stripped of the hosting rights in October last year.

Earlier this week, a statement from the Sports Ministry also noted that the Federal Government was pushing to host the 2027 edition, with the Minister scheduled to attend Wednesday’s meeting in Cairo, Egypt.

But neither the joint bid with Benin Republic for the 2025 tournament nor the single bid for the 2027 tournament, was successful.

Confederation of African Football (CAF) president, Patrice Motsepe, announced the hosts of both tournaments during the ceremony in Cairo on Wednesday afternoon.

The continental football body granted Morocco the hosting rights for the 2025 AFCON.

Read Also: Sports Minister to meet with CAF as Nigeria bids to host 2027 AFCON

The other bidders, Zambia and Nigeria-Benin, agreed to withdraw in order to allow Morocco to host in the hope it will increase the chances of Africa hosting the World Cup again.

Morocco is jointly bidding for the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal, and Motsepe acknowledged that “a huge amount of money” was being spent by the country ahead of the tournament.

At the ceremony on Wednesday, CAF also approved a joint East African bid from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania for the 2027 tournament.

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania’s selection represents the first time nations from the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa) will stage the tournament since Ethiopia in 1976.

Meanwhile, the next edition of the AFCON will take place in January 2024 in Cote d’Ivoire, with 24 teams competing for the continent’s foremost football title.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now