Morocco were awarded the hosting of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals yesterday, replacing Guinea who were stripped of the right to host the tournament last year, while the 2027 rights were handed to a co-bid from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Morocco won by default after Algeria, Zambia and a joint bid from Benin and Nigeria all withdrew before the vote of the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee in Cairo yesterday.
The north African country was a runaway favourite and will see the decision as a boost to their hopes of co-hosting the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Spain but victory for the joint East African bid for 2027 was a surprise. It returns the finals to the region for the first time since 1976 as they beat Botswana, Egypt and Senegal in a vote. Algeria were also a candidate but withdrew on Tuesday.
The next Cup of Nations finals are being held from January 13 to February 11.