Egypt given green light to host 2027 Africa U23 Cup of Nations

Egypt has received approval from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to host the next Africa U23 Cup of Nations, a tournament which will serve as a qualifier for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

A source within the Egyptian Football Association told FilGoal.com: “We have received approval from CAF for Egypt to host the next edition of the Africa U23 Cup of Nations, which will qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.”

The tournament is scheduled to take place in 2027, although no dates or venues have been announced.

A CAF source had previously told FilGoal.com that Egypt had been selected as host of the competition leading to the Los Angeles Olympics.

“Egypt has been selected to host the Africa U23 Cup of Nations, which will qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics,” the source said.

The source added: “Ghana will host the Africa U20 Cup of Nations, while Morocco will host the U17 tournament. The three competitions will be held in 2027.”

The decision would see Egypt stage the Olympic qualifying tournament for the second time. The country previously hosted the edition that provided qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, with the Pharaohs winning the title under manager Shawky Gharib.

Morocco hosted the most recent Africa U23 Cup of Nations. The Moroccan team lifted the trophy after beating Egypt 2-1 in the final.

Morocco also claimed the bronze medal by defeating Egypt in the third-place play-off. Egypt finished fourth, which represented a historic achievement for the Pharaohs despite their defeat in the medal match.

The next edition of the competition will determine which African teams qualify for the men’s football tournament at Los Angeles 2028.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Spain beat France 5-3 in the final to win the gold medal. It was Spain’s first Olympic football gold since the 1992 Games.

Spain have won two Olympic gold medals in total, along with three silver medals. Their silver-medal finishes came in 1920, 2000 and 2020.

France’s most recent Olympic gold medal came in 1984, while the country won silver in 1900.

Spain’s victory over France in the Paris final therefore ended the two nations’ partnership in the number of Olympic gold medals.