Nairobi, Kenya — The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed the acceptance of a joint bid by Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to host the 2032 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), marking a significant development for the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
The Nigerien Football Federation (FENIFOOT) announced that the declaration of interest submitted by the three countries, in compliance with Article 7. 3 of CAF’s bidding regulations, was officially accepted. This acceptance signifies that the nations have met the initial requirements to enter the official process for hosting the 2032 tournament.
The move is part of the AES’s broader ambition to foster regional integration and sustainable development through football. Although the 2032 AFCON will feature 24 teams, Burkina Faso and Mali have previously hosted the AFCON, while Niger has participated twice at the finals in 2012 and 2013. CAF President Patrice Motsepe welcomed the proposal as a demonstration of regional cooperation and encouraged the federations to continue preparing their bid in line with established procedures and technical requirements.
The acceptance of the joint bid does not guarantee hosting rights but positions the AES nations to continue competing in CAF’s evaluation process for the 2032 tournament.
The bid is seen as a strategic move towards regional integration and sustainable development of African football, and it comes against a backdrop of political and security challenges in the Sahel region. Despite these challenges, the nations are aiming to overcome them to bring the AFCON to the Sahel region for the first time.
The next step for the trio is to submit a formal bid to CAF, which will then assess the feasibility and viability of the project.
As the bid progresses, it will be interesting to see how the political and security challenges in the region impact its success.
The African football community will be watching closely to see if this joint bid can overcome the challenges and bring the AFCON to the Sahel region for the first time.
*Additional reporting by ImNews | Sources consulted: 5*
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This original article was produced by the ImNews editorial team
Source: Africa.businessinsider
Source: Solomon Ekanem
