The African Football Confederation (CAF) has announced that Egypt has won the bid to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, which was withdrawn from Cameroon earlier.
The CAF had withdrawn the tournament from Cameroon last November because of the delay in the completion of infrastructure and sports facilities, in addition to concern about the security situation.
Morocco was the next candidate for the tournament, but the North African country apologized for organizing the tournament.
Morocco’s Minister of Youth and Sports Rachid Talbi Alami stressed that his country did not intend to apply for the organization of the tournament.
Accordingly, Egypt and South Africa submitted requests to host the tournament, which will include the participation of 24 national teams for the first time in its history. The CAF seconded Egypt.
The tournament is scheduled to run from June 15 to July 13.
Egypt will be organizing the Africa Cup of Nations for the fifth time, as it hosted the tournament in 1959, 1974, 1986 and 2006.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
