In a surprising turn of events, the President of Uganda Football Federation, Moses Magogo Hassim, has shed light on why Uganda emerged as the chosen host for the 2027 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) over Nigeria, Senegal, and other well-established countries.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) recently announced that the hosting rights for the 2025 AFCON had been awarded to Morocco, while the 2027 AFCON hosting duties were granted to a joint-bid from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. This decision left Nigeria and Benin, who submitted a joint-bid, as well as Senegal and Zambia, disappointed.
Hassim highlighted the attractiveness of the joint-bid from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, stating, “Commonsense showed even the assessors, I am sure, that that Pan-African effort was, logically, the most attractive, apart from any other considerations. We can only get more benefits if we extend this logic to other areas.” He further emphasized that pooling together sports infrastructure, such as stadiums, made their bid more appealing and commended the African sporting authorities for their impeccable decision-making process.
Hassim also expressed his appreciation to CAF for granting the East African region the opportunity to host the prestigious tournament.
It is worth noting that Nigeria’s Sports Minister, John Owan-Enoh, along with top officials from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), had traveled to Cairo, Egypt, with hopes of a successful bid. Allegedly, FIFA Committee Member and former NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, had assured them of a favorable outcome for the Nigeria/Benin joint bid.
