CAF assesses Burkina Faso facilities for 2030 Africa Cup of Nations bid

Burkina Faso has hosted an evaluation mission from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as part of a joint bid by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to stage the 2030 Africa Cup of Nations.

The CAF delegation arrived on Sunday, 8 November 2026, and was led by Emmanuel Newton Dasoberi, a professional football manager. It was received by Annick Pikbougoum/Zingue Ouattara, the Minister of Sports, Youth and Employment, who was presented with the mission’s initial observations following its visit.

The inspection was intended to establish whether the three-country project has the basic conditions required to host a major continental tournament. Discussions in Burkina Faso focused on the human resources available, sporting facilities and accommodation capacity.

During the day, the experts visited the Stade du 4-Aout and the Centre d’entrainement des Etalons (COMET), which has two pitches. They also inspected the Lancaster Ouaga 2000 hotel as part of their assessment of the country’s existing infrastructure.

Representatives from several government and technical bodies took part in the discussions. They included officials from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Construction of the Homeland and the Ministry of Health.

The country’s football authorities, the National Office for Major Projects and Faso Mebo were also involved. Independent expert Toussaint Somdah joined the exchanges.

The visit is the first stage of a wider evaluation process and does not represent the completion of CAF’s assessment. Further specialist missions are expected to examine other areas considered essential to hosting the competition.

Those areas include security, information technology, infrastructure and amenities, as well as health and medical arrangements. The additional evaluations will gradually assess the capacity of the three AES countries involved in the proposed bid.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Annick Pikbougoum/Zingue Ouattara reaffirmed the commitment of Burkina Faso’s authorities and their partners in the AES region to preparing a bid that meets CAF’s requirements.

The stated aim is to secure CAF’s approval for the 2030 Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted jointly by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.