Rabat – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced today that six countries have expressed interest in hosting the Africa Cup of Nations in 2027.
The list of the bidding nations features Algeria, Botswana, Egypt, as well as a joint bid by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
As Morocco is not listed among the bidding countries, reports suggest that Morocco and Algeria have reached an agreement regarding their bid to host the 2025 AFCON.
Following the CAF’s decision to withdraw the organization of the important continental sporting event from Guinea due to its inadequate infrastructure and facilities, both Morocco and Algeria submitted bids to host AFCON 2025.
South Africa, Zambia, and a joint Benin-Nigeria bid are also competing to replace Guinea as the event’s hosts in 2025.
According to Reuters, Morocco and Algeria are the “top two contenders for 2025,” but CAF faced a “political dilemma” in choosing between the two.
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Reuters highlighted that Algeria’s bid for the 2027 event clears the way for Morocco to host the 2025 tournament.
Morocco has over the years hosted a number of continental competitions in various stadiums. Being home to six stadiums that have all been certified by CAF has strengthened the country’s bid to host the tournament in 2025.
The Moroccan bid to host the continental football championship has received a lot of support, including from Botswana and Liberia’s President George Weah.
Earlier this year, Moroccan official and Director of the Mohammed VI Football Complex Hassan Kharbouch emphasized that Morocco is well-positioned to host the AFCON, having previously hosted the Club World Cup and the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations.
CAF has set the deadline of May 23, 2023, for member associations to submit their final bid, including all bidding and hosting documents (hosting agreement, host cities agreement, government guarantees, and so on), which must be duly signed.
The governing body of African football will start conducting inspection visits later this year, namely from 1 June to July 15.
Read Also: Morocco Stresses ‘Readiness’ To Host 2025 Africa Cup of Nations
