Patrice Motsepe, the leader of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), acknowledged on Saturday that Morocco's organization of the Cup of Nations has set a high standard for future tournaments. However, he rejected any doubts regarding the capability of East Africa to host the upcoming 2027 tournament.
"This has been the single most successful AFCON in the history of the competition — both the quality of the football and the standards of the stadiums and infrastructure have been exceptional," remarked Motsepe during a press briefing in Rabat, just before the final match between Morocco and Senegal.
Morocco is preparing to co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal and may also be in the running to host the anticipated 2028 AFCON as part of its preparations.
Motsepe expressed that he has received numerous requests from various nations interested in hosting the 2028 tournament, yet he firmly stated that the 2027 Cup of Nations will take place in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda as initially planned.
These nations previously collaborated to host last year's African Nations Championship — a contest exclusively for teams comprised of locally-sourced players — although it experienced a delay from January to August to allow for improvements in their facilities.
"Being a leader often requires making tough and unwelcome decisions," the South African official commented. "I have a responsibility to promote football throughout Africa; it cannot solely exist in nations with superior infrastructure. I am confident that the AFCON in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania will be highly successful."
"We will not withdraw the competition from these nations," he added. This upcoming event marks the first AFCON to occur in the region since Ethiopia hosted it in 1976, and it will take place shortly before the tournament's transition to a quadrennial schedule, shifting from its traditional biennial format established since the inaugural edition in 1957.
Motsepe had previously announced this contentious modification just before the tournament in Morocco, asserting that it was not influenced by pressure from major European clubs or FIFA.
"As Africans, we must liberate ourselves from the mindset that our decisions are dictated by FIFA or Europe," he emphasized, while also noting, "there are moments when we must make compromises."
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