Morocco has won the right to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The North African nation beat neighbors Algeria and Nigeria to host the tournament after securing 22 votes, compared to none from their competitors.
The World Cup semi-finalists will be hosting the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time in their history, with the first being in 1988.
The decision was announced at a CAF Executive Committee meeting on Wednesday, as confirmed on social media.
Morocco are one-time African champion, winning the tournament in 1976 before reaching the final in 2004, where they lost to Tunisia.
Meanwhile, in recent years, Morocco has showcased its full readiness to host Africa’s biggest football event.
Officials from both CAF and FIFA have hailed the quality of Morocco’s football infrastructure and accommodation facilities, stressing that the North African country has what it takes to host prestigious sporting events, including AFCON.
Morocco showed its readiness by hosting several world-class CAF events, including the African Women’s Cup of Nations in July 2022 and the Club World Cup earlier this year, while also being named the WAFCON 2024 hosting country.
Hailing Morocco’s potential to be a respectable host of international tournaments, the FIFA President said last year that Morocco is a great country not only for football but also as a country that knows how to organize major events.
In addition to the continental event, the Atlas lions of Morocco is also bidding to jointly host the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Portugal and Spain.
Meanwhile, Ivory Coast will host the 2023 edition next year with the draw for the tournament set for October 12 in Abidjan.
However, The hope of Nigeria and the Benin Republic having a joint hosting of the African Cup of Nations has finally ended.
Both countries had been pushing and submitted a bid to host the 2025 and 2027 edition of the AFCON, but since Morocco was named 2025 hosting country, all hope was on the 2027 AFCON.
But at the end of voting, it was the Central African countries Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania that got the hosting right and dumped out the other contestants.
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