Nigeria Loses AFCON 2027 Hosting Right To Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania With Only 2 Stadiums

Despite spirited efforts and millions of taxpayers’ money spent on the bid to host the 2027 African Cup of Nations, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania with two stadiums only beat Nigeria and Benin Republic to win the hosting rights.

Nigeria had bidded to host the tournament with the Benin Republic in another joint bid.

Nigeria once hosted the tournament as a country in 1980 before jointly hosting the competition with Ghana in 2000.

Morocco will host the 2025 edition.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced the decisions on Wednesday in Cairo Egypt.

Minister of Sports Development Senator John Owan Enoh, alongside other government officials and the Nigerian football federation officials, was in Egypt for the event.

Morocco last hosted the AFCON in 1988 but pulled out of hosting the 2015 edition due to the Ebola virus.

CAF angrily stripped the north African nation of the hosting rights.

Algeria withdrew in the last minutes from the 2027 race.

The national federation said, “This withdrawal can be explained by a new approach from the FAF related to its strategy for developing football in Algeria.”

The Kenya-Uganda-Tanzania joint bid was chosen ahead of Nigeria despite being favourites after Algeria pulled out.

East Africa would be hosting the tourney for the first time since Ethiopia staged the 1976 edition.

While Morocco boasts of many world-class stadiums and has experience of successfully hosting numerous African and world tournaments, that cannot be said of Kenya and Tanzania.

The two countries have only one international-standard venue each while Uganda has none.

Due to the lack of a stadium in Uganda, CAF forced the country’s national team to play 2023 Cup of Nations qualifiers at neutral venues.