No surprise there. Placed in a strong position after Algeria withdrew its bid, Morocco was named host of the 2025 African Cup of Nations on Wednesday September 27. Meeting in Cairo, the Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) did not in the end have to choose between several bids, all the others having been withdrawn from the race. After Algeria the day before, Zambia and the duo of Nigeria and Benin withdrew on the day of the decision to compete with a Moroccan bid favored by CAF for strategic reasons. CAF President Patrice Motsepe explained to the media: “The main reason is to support Morocco in its bid for the 2030 World Cup. Our job is to ensure that Africa is united. We have taken the decision to award the 54 votes of the African continent to Morocco.” As a reminder, Morocco has joined forces with Spain and Portugal to submit a joint bid to host the World Cup in 2030. During the same meeting, the Executive Committee of the continental body awarded the next edition of the CAN, scheduled for 2027. It will take place in three countries: Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. They were preferred to the two other candidates, Egypt and Senegal. As Patrice Motsepe explained at a press conference, CAF has decided that the African Cup of Nations can no longer be held twice in succession in the same region of the continent. Morocco has not hosted the tournament since 1988. As for the next edition, it will be played in East Africa for the first time since 1976, when the CAN was held in Ethiopia.
