Four bids and six candidate countries to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations

April 27 - An East African bid comprising Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda is vying against Algeria, Botswana and Egypt to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

On Thursday, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) revealed that four candidates and six countries are competing to host the continent's flagship tournament in 2027. Algeria, Botswana and Egypt are all launching individual bids.

Bidders will have until May 23 to submit their official bids, and inspection visits are scheduled for June and July.

While Egypt and Algeria have solid credentials in hosting major tournaments, the East African trio and Botswana have never hosted a final before.

Egypt stepped in to host the 2019 tournament which was stripped from Cameroon due to a lack of preparation. Earlier this year, Algeria hosted the African Nations Championship (CHAN). The North Africans also hosted the tournament in 1990.

Botswana had planned to co-host the tournament with Namibia, but the Namibians withdrew from the race, citing financial problems. This could prompt Botswana to host the 24-team tournament themselves.

East African nations will have to convince CAF that they have the infrastructure to host the event. Kenya, for example, has only one CAF-approved stadium, Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi. However, the government has pledged its support, with a previous statement underlining its commitment to revitalizing football in the country.

Next year, Ivory Coast will host the 2023 edition of the tournament. The host nation of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations has yet to be decided after Guinea were stripped of the final. Algeria, Morocco, Zambia and a Benin-Nigeria co-host bid are in contention.

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