The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee announced on Wednesday, September 27, in Cairo, Egypt, that the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will be hosted by the East African nation of Morocco.

This decision marks Morocco’s return to hosting the tournament, with their last hosting stint dating back to 1988.

In 2015, Morocco was initially chosen as the host, but due to concerns surrounding the Ebola virus, the country requested a postponement, leading to CAF eventually revoking their hosting rights.

Additionally, the committee revealed that the 2027 AFCON edition will be jointly hosted by three East African countries: Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.

This decision reflects CAF’s commitment to expanding the tournament’s reach across the continent.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe expressed his enthusiasm about the future of African football, describing it as “brighter than ever.”

He even went further to suggest that an African nation could soon clinch victory in the FIFA World Cup, showcasing the growing talent and potential within the continent’s footballing landscape.

The joint bid by Nigeria and neighboring Republic of Benin has emerged as a strong contender in the race to host the 36th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2027, according to CompleteSports.

The Confederation of African Football’s Executive Committee will vote on the bids for both 2025 and 2027 in Cairo on Wednesday.

Morocco is nearly guaranteed to host the 2025 finals, leaving Nigeria and Republic of Benin competing with Senegal, Egypt, Botswana, and a tripartite arrangement of Uganda/Kenya/Tanzania for the 2027 event. Algeria, initially a strong candidate for the 2027 event, withdrew from the race.

Guinea was originally selected to host the 2025 finals but lost the hosting right due to infrastructure and facility issues, compounded by a change in government.

Nigeria has proposed several stadiums for the 2027 bid, the likes of MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja; Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt; Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo; Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos; Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna; Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba; Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City and; Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano while Republic of Benin offers the Stade Mathieu Kerekou in Cotonou and the Stade Charles de Gaulle in Porto Novo.

Nigeria has previously hosted and won the 1980 edition of the AFCON and co-hosted the 2000 finals with Ghana.

CAF’s release of the list of referees for the 2023 Africa Nations Cup in Ivory Coast has raised concerns as there are no Nigerian officials listed in any category.

Despite Nigeria’s qualification for the tournament, there is a notable absence of Nigerian referees on the AFCON shortlist.

This issue highlights the need for Nigeria to develop and produce more qualified referees to participate in prestigious continental tournaments like the Africa Nations Cup.

The last Nigerian referee to officiate at the AFCON was Emmanuel Imiere back in 2006.

With the tournament set to begin in January 2024, this absence underscores the urgency for Nigeria to address its refereeing development programs and produce more qualified officials.