Nigeria, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire could, in the nearest future, join forces to bid for the FIFA World Cup, following early signals from Ghana’s Minister of Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, Soccernet.ng reports.
Koffi Adams’ comments could energise discussions around a potential West African mega-hosting partnership, one that would align with football’s growing embrace of multi-nation tournaments.
The idea is not without precedent. Nigeria, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire are established football powerhouses on the continent, each boasting Africa Cup of Nations titles and multiple World Cup appearances.
Ghana remain one of Africa’s most storied football nations with five AFCON triumphs, while the Super Eagles follow with three, their most recent in 2013. Côte d’Ivoire, fresh off hosting and winning the 2023 AFCON, have also built a modern tournament infrastructure that places them among Africa’s most experienced football organisers.
Participation on the global stage also acknowledges their pedigree. Nigeria have qualified for six of the last eight World Cup tournaments and remain one of the continent’s most recognisable teams despite missing out on the 2026 edition. Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire have both secured their tickets to the 2026 World Cup.
Joint hosting, once considered unusual, has now become a defining trend. Nigeria and Ghana jointly staged the 2000 AFCON, the first such collaboration in the competition’s history.
The 2027 AFCON will go even further, with Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda co-hosting as a trio.
Globally, the 2026 World Cup will span the United States, Canada and Mexico, while the 2030 tournament will be played across Morocco, Spain and Portugal. This shift has opened the door for multi-nation bids from regions with shared political, logistical or cultural ties.
Against this backdrop, a potential West African World Cup bid is no longer far-fetched.
Adams believes the conditions are right for Ghana, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire to ‘make a strong case’ as early as after 2034, when Saudi Arabia concludes its hosting.
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Ghana’s Kofi Adams: “It will be good” for West Africa
Speaking on the growing trend of multi-country hosts, Adams hinted that preparatory conversations may already be happening.
“They [FIFA] are beginning to adapt a number of nations doing it so maybe who knows, the next one would be Ghana, Nigeria, and then Côte d’lvoire coming together to also host the World Cup, and it will be good,” he said as per Modern Ghana.
He emphasised that all three countries already meet key standards for staging major football events, particularly given their recent investments in infrastructure.
“I believe that we, together with Nigeria and Côte d’lvoire, who have already invested quite a lot because they hosted AFCON not too long ago. We can also make a strong case to host,” Adams noted.
His argument is reinforced by each country’s track record. Côte d’Ivoire staged the highly successfully 2023 AFCON. Ghana hosted the postponed 2023 African Games in 2024.
Nigeria’s history is even deeper: the country has hosted the AFCON twice (1980 individually, and 2000 jointly with Ghana), the 1999 FIFA U20 World Cup, and the 2009 FIFA U17 World Cup.
While a bid cannot materialise before 2034, the political and footballing momentum behind multi-country hosting suggests that a Ghana-Nigeria-Côte d’Ivoire proposal may emerge as one of Africa’s strongest future claims to the World Cup.
