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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced that Morocco will stage the Africa Cup of Nations in 2025, while the 2027 edition will be co-hosted by Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.
Morocco has not staged the national team tournament since 1988. The 2027 edition will mark the first time it has been staged in East Africa since Ethiopia hosted in 1976, and the first time the event has been played in three countries.
Morocco had been considered the favourite to land hosting rights to the 2025 tournament. Algeria had been in the running to host in 2027 but pulled out at the last minute, leaving the door open for the East African bid.
The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) said that its withdrawal was motivated by its new approach to the football development strategy in Algeria. The FAF intends on focusing its efforts on the “reorganisation and revitalisation” of football in the country.
Algeria had also been interested in hosting the 2025 tournament. Zambia and a joint proposal from Nigeria and Benin were also in the running, but Morocco emerged as the frontrunner.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe said that Morocco was selected to help support the country’s joint bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal. Motsepe added that staging the 2027 tournament in East Africa will help the development of infrastructure and stadiums in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.
The 2025 tournament had originally been due to take place in Guinea, but CAF withdrew its hosting rights as its infrastructure and facilities were deemed not up to the required standard.
The next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations will take place in Ivory Coast from January 13 to February 11. The event had been due to take place in the summer of 2023 but it was pushed back to avoid the country’s rainy season in June and July.
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