Morocco has won the rights to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Morocco won the rights after Algeria anf Zambia withdrew their bids. Nigeria and Benin Republic also withdrew a joint bid before the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee voted in Cairo on Wednesday.
Morocco, will replace Guinea who were stripped of the right to host the tournament last year.
It will be recalled that Morocco were to have hosted the 2015 Cup of Nations finals but pulled out amid concerns over the spread of the Ebola virus in west Africa. It was a decision vigorously condemned at the time by CAF, who banned the country from African competition for two years.
Meanwhile, the 2027 rights has been awarded to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda who submitted an all east African bid. The east Africans beat Botswana, Egypt and Senegal in a vote. Algeria were also a candidate but withdrew on Tuesday.
AFCON will be returning to the East African region for the first time since 1976. Kenya had previously been awarded the hosting in 1996 but were stripped because of poor preparation. The country only recently had a long FIFA ban for government interference in the running of their football federation lifted.
