The executive committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the hosting countries for two editions of the Africa Cup of Nations, in 2025 and 2027.
And so the big question is which countries have landed the hosting rights for the next AFCON and are they ready for bring Africa's biggest football tournament to their doorsteps? Find out the details of the 2025 and 2027 AFCON in this preview.
Next Afcon host decided in CAF meeting
The last Afcon will was held in January 2024. And top players from across the European leagues missed portions of their club's season to proudly represent their countries in the high-quality competition.
Afcon 2023 was initially scheduled to be played in the summer of 2023, to reduce scheduling conflicts with the European league season, but due to concerns over the weather at that time of year in the host country the Ivory Coast, it was postponed.
It is after that that CAF rescheduled to between 13 January and 11 February 2024, with the Ivory Coast hosting the tournament for the first time since 1984.
Unfortunately, Senegal failed to defend their Afcon title after getting kicked out of the tournament in the round of 16 by the hosts, Ivory Coast. Ivory Coast then went ahead to win the AFCON trophy in a charged final match against the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
With the 2025 and 2027 AFCON hosts already decided, let's find out the details.
Who will host AFCON 2025?
Morocco will host Afcon 2025 after Guinea were stripped of the right to stage the tournament due to concerns over the nation's infrastructure, and facilities and lack of speed in improving these.
2022 FIFA World Cup semi-finalists Morocco were the clear favourites to host the 2025 edition, especially after Algeria withdrew from the race on the eve of the vote.
The decision on who was to host Afcon 2025 was supposed to be made in mid-August but was pushed back, like much of the organisation around Afcon, which is consistently beset with issues such as these.
Morocco's victory was effectively a process of elimination. Algeria were not the only bid competitors to withdraw, with a Nigeria-Benin joint-bid also doing so, and Zambia, too.
This will be the second time Morocco has hosted Afcon, having first done so in 1988. They were scheduled to host in 2015 but had to give up their right to do so due to the Ebola crisis.
How will Afcon host selection affect the 2030 World Cup bids?
The 2030 World Cup bids remain a fierce battle, and the leading bid from UEFA is for the trio of Spain, Portugal, and Morocco to combine. Morocco's successful preparation for Afcon 2025 could prove key to that bid's success.
Having reached the semi-finals is the 2022 World Cup, 2025 AFCON hosting rights should boost Morocco's stab at another world tournament, especially as the prospective hosts of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Who will host Afcon 2027?
The Kenya-Uganda-Tanzania trio will host Afcon 2027 after a surprise decision at September 2023's meeting of the CAF. This is the first time that the tournament will be staged in East Africa since 1976 when Ethiopia hosted the AFCON finals.
Senegal were favourites to be awarded the tournament, while Egypt, Botswana and Algeria were also possibilities. While Algeria withdrew on the eve of the vote, the others did not.
The East Africa Pamoja Bid will create a “beautiful” edition of Afcon, said CAF president Patrice Motsepe.
“The future of African football has never been brighter…in the near future an African nation will win the World Cup,” Motsepe said.
“The 2027 edition is going to be beautiful. The commitment and drive made by the three presidents of the countries shows how eager the region is to host this event.”
Several key improvements have been promised by the trio of East African countries.
Kenya will renovate the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani and Nairobi's Nyayo Stadium while Uganda are still deciding on their stadium options, with some suggestions they will invest in venues in Fort Portal, Lira and Mbarara.
The Kenyan government launched a new stadium project dubbed Talanta Stadium, which is expected to boost the country's hosting capacity for the 2027 AFCON.
Tanzania are guaranteed to use the already CAF-certified Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium but will need to improve another couple to meet CAF standards.
What are CAF standards for hosting Afcon?
These CAF standards generally revolve around proximity to an airport and a five-star hotel plus the level of hospitality.
There will need to be a total of six stadiums across the three countries to cater for the 24 participating teams.
Moreover, at least two of the stadiums hosting AFCON matches should have a capacity of at least 40,000 and another two with at least 20,000 seating capacity.
What is the cost of hosting the African Cup of Nations (AFCON)?
The cost of hosting AFCON runs into hundreds of millions of dollars. Sometimes it is in billions of dollars. For example, Senegal spent at least $1 billion in preparations for the AFCON 2023. The money went into road construction, stadium renovation, and the construction of many other critical infrastructures such as hospitals. Senegal were also forced to take a $3.5 billion IMF loan to boost their financial kitty for hosting the biggest football tournament in Africa.
In the upcoming African Cup of Nation tournaments, the cost will undoubtedly be more, especially with the competition continuing to gain prominence.
Countries seeking to host AFCON are required to part with a $1000 in entry fee and must fill out an AFCON form provided by the Confederation of African Football (CAN).