The bid from Uganda to jointly host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) with Tanzania and Kenya was presented to President Museveni on Monday.
This comes a week after Kenyan President William Ruto also received his country’s copy of the bid, which has contributions from the three major East African nations.
The document was delivered to the president and first lady, as well as education and sports minister Janet, at State House in Entebbe under the leadership of parliamentary deputy speaker Thomas Tayebwa, state minister for sports Peter Ogwang and Fufa chairman Moses Magogo.
The three EA states collaborated on an Afcon 2027 bid strategy known as EA “Pamoja” (together), which they feel presents a compelling argument against seasoned international event organisers Algeria and Egypt.
Today in Cairo, Egypt, Caf will be presented with the winning proposal. The fourth nation to submit a bid is Botswana.
While praising the regional bid, Museveni emphasised the value of hosting and sports in general for both participants and spectators.
“As I have always said,” Museveni said as he addressed the stakeholders present, “sports are good for health to burn calories and not be unhealthy. It is also good for entertainment “for yourself, the participants, and the spectators. This is better than other activities like consuming alcohol.”
The president understood the business aspects of the EA offer, but his message did not reflect any enthusiasm he could have had for it.
Going on to the competition itself, Egypt and Algeria, two North African nations that could host the event at a moment’s notice thanks to their world standards facilities, are incomparable to Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
A continental competition for local players, the African Nations Championship (Chan), was held in Algeria earlier this year, while the African Confederations Cup (Afcon) was most recently held in Egypt in 2019.
According to stadium inspections conducted earlier this year to verify locations that fulfil international criteria to host Caf and Fifa matches, Algeria has five locations across four cities, while Egypt has six stadiums.
All that Egypt and Algeria want is approval from their respective governments, and the match will begin.
In regards to Botswana, which was relying on Namibia for a joint proposal until that country recently withdrew due to financial concerns, as well as the East African charge, it is still unknown how much expenditure will be required on their part to be successful.
Likewise, according to Caf inspections early in the year, only Tanzania’s Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium meets international requirements, with Botswana, Uganda, and Kenya having none.
“Our bid to host the Afcon 2027 will accelerate infrastructural development in the country,” he said.
“There will be a big upgrade on different infrastructures like roads, hotels, airfields, and airports.”
Bidding Nations
- Algeria (5 Caf-certified stadiums, 4 cities)
- Botswana (No Caf certified stadium)
- Egypt (6 Caf-certified stadiums, 3 cities)
- Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania – Joint Bid (1 Caf-certified stadium in Dar es Salaam)
The final official bid will be officially submitted to Caf in Cairo on Tuesday, May 23.