The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has granted initial approval for Morocco to host the next edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in July and August 2025.
The decision follows talks with FIFA, and the proposed dates for the tournament are from July 20 to August 16 or 17, 2025.
This comes after Côte d’Ivoire won the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations trophy.
Patrice Motsepe, CAF president, had initially been hesitant about specifying the date for the next edition, which was originally scheduled for January and February 2025 in Morocco but was later postponed.
On Monday, an official of the committee in charge of competitions told AFP on condition of anonymity that there was “an agreement in principle between CAF and the Moroccan Football Federation for the AFCON to be held during the summer, more precisely in July and August 2025.”
“This agreement was reached under the aegis of FIFA after talks that began several months ago and which intensified during the last edition concluded this month in Ivory Coast,” he continued.
“The currently proposed dates are from July 20 to August 16 or 17, 2025.” he concluded.
The summer scheduling, however, may pose challenges with the FIFA Club World Cup taking place from June 15 to July 13 in the United States of America.
Qualifications for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations are yet to begin, with a preliminary round scheduled from March 18 to 26.
Additionally, the previous two African Cup of Nations were postponed.
AFCON 2021 took place in January-February 2022 in Cameroon, and AFCON 2023 began on January 13 in Ivory Coast, concluding with the host country’s victory on February 11, 2024.
Story by Nuhu Adams
