Nigeria beaten to AFCON 2025, 2027 hosting rights by Morocco, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania

The joint bid from Nigeria and Benin Republic failed to make the cut, with the next two editions of the competition set to be played on North and East African soils 

The Confederations of Africa Football, CAF, has decided that Nigeria will not host any of the 2025 and 2027 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, Soccernet.ng reports.

In a joint bid with neighbours Benin Republic, Nigeria sought to host the 2025 or 2027 African championships.

However, North African powerhouse Morocco have secured the hosting rights for the AFCON in 2025.

At their voting exercise at the Cairo Marriott Hotel in Egypt on Wednesday, the Executive Committee of CAF announced that Morocco won by 22 votes, with their challengers, including Algeria, getting no vote.

After the second round of voting, CAF also unveiled the joint bid by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania as the winning bid for the hosting of the 2027 AFCON.

Nigeria had high hopes of winning the rights to host the 36th edition of the Championships, but the continent’s number one football body has handed the baton to the East African trio.

Only on two previous occasions have Nigeria hosted the rest of Africa – in 1980 and 2000 (as co-hosts with Ghana).

Nigeria won the prestigious trophy on home soil in 1980, beating Algeria in the final played in Lagos.

But the Super Eagles were beating finalists when Nigeria hosted the tournament 20 years later.