Nigeria/Benin Bid Tipped as CAF Picks Hosts Countries Today

Femi Solaja

The Nigerian delegation to Cairo, Egypt will know this afternoon whether their mission to jointly host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nation (AFCON)  with neighbors Benin Republic is successful.

The executive committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is to vote at the Cairo Marriott Hotel in Zamalek area of downtown Cairo, to decide the countries that have succeeded in their bids to host the 2025 and 2027 AFCON tournaments.

Already, the 2025 edition of the continental football showpiece appears the exclusive preserve of Morocco as they face little or no opposition to host that edition.

However, the Nigeria and Benin Republic joint bid faces a great challenge from Senegal, Egypt, Botswana and a tripartite arrangement of Uganda/Kenya/Tanzania for the 2027 event.

Algeria, the only North African country in the running to host the 2027 edition, pulled out hours before CAF listened to the presentations from all the countries in contention.

Guinea were originally selected to host the 2025 finals, on the same day that Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire were given the mandates for the 2021 and 2023 editions respectively. 

But the Guineans fell behind badly in the preparations with infrastructure and other facilities unattended to.  A new military government in place has not helped the country’s case, and CAF simply withdrew the hosting right from that country.

Nigeria has put forward the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja; Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt; Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo; Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos; Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna; Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba; Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City and; Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano. 

In the Republic of Benin, the Stade Mathieu Kerekou in Cotonou and the Stade Charles de Gaulle in Porto Novo are the two arena that are listed to host. 

Nigeria hosted and won the 12th edition of the AFCON in 1980 and then co-hosted the 22nd finals with Ghana in 2000.

Last night, Nigeria’s contingent of Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mal. Ismaila Abubakar; President of NFF, Mal. Ibrahim Musa Gusau; General Secretary of NFF, Dr Mohammed Sanusi and; Project Coordinator, Mal. Mainasara Illo arrived in Cairo. 

They were joined by Nigeria’s FIFA Council Member and Member of the CAF Executive Committee, Amaju Melvin Pinnick to push Nigeria’s bid. The Benin Republic team is led by Mathurin De Chacus, who is the sitting President of Federation Beninoise de Football.

Today, before the vote is taken by the CAF Executive Committee, (after it would have discussed the report of the Independent Assessment Committee), the bidding nations will have 10 minutes to make a presentation, with the Nigeria/Benin case to be canvassed by veteran broadcaster and experienced bid campaigner, Mainasara Illo. The presentation

Illo, who was deputy chief organizer of the 8th All-Africa Games that Nigeria hosted in 2003, and chief organizer of the FIFA U17 World Cup also hosted by Nigeria in 2009, led a bid coordinating team that has taken two different CAF inspection teams round Nigeria’s stadia infrastructure and other facilities, and will make a case that is a hybrid of strong oratory appeal and multi-media presentation.

The bid’s theme is pegged on how it will spur greater collaboration between both nations in the areas of security and commerce, foster seamless transportation between both nations and by extension the West African region, and be an elixir for the development and improvement of critical infrastructure in the two countries.