AFCON 2025 and 2027: Morocco and Kenya-Uganda-Tanzania trio land hosting rights

One obvious choice and one minor surprise: that sums up the verdict on the awarding of the 2025 and 2027 AFCON hosting rights, made in Cairo on 27 September. After a vote by the Executive Committee members at the governing body's headquarters in Cairo, the Confederation of African Football named Morocco as host of the 2025 edition and the trio of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania for the 2027 one. Both editions are scheduled to take place in the summer, between June and July.

Read more on this: AFCON 2025 and 2027 hosting: why the FAF pulled out

Morocco win it by knockout

It was anything but a surprise for the Kingdom, who had been tipped for months and were the logical favourites from the moment their bid was officially lodged. Also bidding to co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal, Morocco pulled out all the stops to present a strong dossier built on their existing infrastructure. That is without counting the planned renovations to ensure a top-level tournament, with, for example, 24 training pitches, one dedicated to each team. A first.

Those assets ultimately forced the rivals to rethink their plans. The day before, Algeria announced the withdrawal of their bids for the 2025 and 2027 AFCON to focus on restructuring their domestic football, while Nigeria and Benin announced at the start of the Executive Committee meeting that they were withdrawing their bid for 2025 to move it to the 2027 edition. Zambia were the last to follow suit, ending up backing Botswana, who were bidding to host the 2027 AFCON. With all their rivals out of the way, it was only logical that Morocco were awarded the 2025 hosting rights unanimously, 37 years after staging the 1988 AFCON.

AFCON returns to East Africa

With 2025 settled, the host for 2027 was still to be decided after last-minute bids. Botswana, Senegal, the Benin-Nigeria duo and the Kenya-Uganda-Tanzania trio all sent delegations to present their dossiers and strengths. After presentations lasting around ten minutes per delegation, the Executive Committee members voted by majority in favour of the trio's bid.

It is a major challenge for Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, who will bring the AFCON back to East Africa, after the last edition there in 1976 in Ethiopia. It is no accident, and it first confirms CAF's desire to see the AFCON staged in different regions of the continent, moving from Central Africa with Cameroon in 2022, to the West with Ivory Coast in 2024, then North Africa with Morocco in 2025 and now the east in 2027. It also marks, above all, a return to joint hosting, a cause dear to president Patrice Motsepe. That will allow several countries to share the burden of staging a competition that now features 24 teams, along with all the logistics that come with it. It is a major challenge for the three nations, who must now work hand in hand to make the event a success, for the AFCON's big return to the region.