On Friday, officials from the Ivory Coast’s government signed a formal hosting agreement with the Confederation of African Football (Caf) for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The agreement is crucial because it almost guarantees that the next finals, which will take place in 2024, would be staged in the West African country.
In recent years, the host country for Nations Cups has shifted around on short notice, with Cameroon losing the 2019 finals before hosting them prematurely earlier this year.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe was in Abidjan with other dignitaries to meet Ivorian government officials, including vice-president Tiemoko Meyliet Kone and sports minister Paulin Claude Dahno, who signed the deal.
The 24-team championships will be place in January and February 2024 at six stadiums in five cities: Abidjan, Bouake, Korhogo, San-Pedro, and the capital Yamoussoukro.
The first game and final will be held in Abidjan’s Stade Olympique d’Ebimpe, a 60,000-capacity stadium, while the city’s 45,000-capacity Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium is also being restored.
Following a technical inspection last month, the Organizing Committee of the African Cup of Nations 2023 stated that it was pleased with the pace of construction on the Ebimpe stadium.
Meanwhile, the National Office of Infrastructure reported that stadiums in Bouake and Yamoussoukro, which will hold 40,000 and 20,000 people, respectively, are nearly finished.
However, the BBC’s Lalla Sy in Abidjan reports that there are doubts over whether enough hotel rooms will be available to accommodate competing teams, dignitaries and officials, and traveling fans.
Ivory Coast’s Minister of Tourism, Siandou Fofana, has urged for hotels to be updated to worldwide standards.
The 2023 finals have been relocated, and new hosts for 2025 have been announced.
The 2023 Nations Cup was initially slated for June and July of next year, but it was rescheduled to avoid Ivory Coast’s rainy season.
Qualifiers for the finals are currently ongoing, although anticipated September matchups have been delayed to allow Africa’s five World Cup participants to organize friendly matches.
The next international break will be in March, with the last two rounds of fixtures taking place in September.
Despite being guaranteed a participation in the competition, Ivory Coast is participating in Group H.
Meanwhile, Caf is seeking for potential hosts for the 2025 Nations Cup after denying Guinea the right to host last month due to a lack of suitable infrastructure and facilities.
The continent’s governing body set Friday as the deadline for countries to express their interest in hosting the event, and after reviewing documentation and touring bidding countries, the victorious country or co-hosts are anticipated to be announced on February 10th.
SOURCE : BBC
