April 27 – An East African bid comprising Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda is vying against Algeria, Botswana, and Egypt to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
On Thursday, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) revealed that four bidders and six countries are competing to stage the continent’s flagship tournament in 2027. Algeria, Botswana and Egypt are all launching individual bids.
The bidders will have until May 23 to submit their official bids, and inspection visits are scheduled for June and July.
While Egypt and Algeria have strong credentials in staging large tournaments, the East African trio and Botswana have never hosted the finals before.
Egypt stepped in to host the 2019 tournament that was stripped from Cameroon because of a lack of preparedness. Earlier this year, Algeria organised the African Nations Championship (CHAN). The North Africans also hosted the tournament in 1990.
Botswana had planned to co-host the tournament with Namibia, but the Namibians withdrew from the race, citing financial concerns. It might be a push for Botswana to stage the 24-team tournament by itself.
The East African nations will have to convince CAF that they have the necessary infrastructure to stage the event. Kenya, for instance, has only one CAF-approved stadium, the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi. However, the government has pledged its support, with a previous statement highlighting its commitment to revitalize football in the country.
Next year, Ivory Coast will host the 2023 edition of the tournament. The host nation for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is yet to be decided after Guinea was stripped of the finals. Algeria, Morocco, Zambia, and a Benin-Nigeria co-host bid are in the running.
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