Nigeria has lost its joint bid with Benin Republic to host the 2027 African Cup of Nations (AFCON). Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania however emerged victorious.

The decision was made by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after several countries withdrew from the bidding process, leaving only a few candidates in contention.

The bidding process for the 2025 and 2027 AFCON hosts has been long-awaited, with the CAF executive committee initially planning to announce the hosts earlier in September.

Guinea was stripped of the right to host the 2025 finals due to concerns about infrastructure and facilities, leading to the decision to award the hosting of the 2027 finals at the same time.

Algeria, Morocco, and Zambia were initially in the running for the 2025 and 2027 events, along with a joint bid from Benin and Nigeria.

Algeria withdrew from the bidding process on the eve of the vote, leaving Morocco and Senegal as the favorites for the 2025 and 2027 editions, respectively.

In the end, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania were chosen as the hosts for the 2027 AFCON, while Morocco has been named as Guinea’s replacement for the 2025 tournament.

Notably, neither Kenya, Uganda nor Tanzania have ever hosted the Africa Cup of Nations.

Nigeria hosted the competition in 1980 and emerged champions that same year.