Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have reportedly officially submitted a joint bid to host the 2032 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), marking the first formal step by the three Sahel nations to stage Africa’s premier football tournament together.
The bid was officially acknowledged by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after the countries submitted a joint expression of interest in line with the governing body’s bidding regulations.
CAF’s acknowledgement clears the three countries to continue with the official bidding process for the 2032 tournament.
According to the Niger Football Federation (FENIFOOT), the approval confirms that the joint expression of interest satisfies the requirements of Article 7.3 of CAF’s bidding regulations, allowing the bid to advance to the next phase.
The bid follows a meeting held on July 18 in New York between CAF President Patrice Motsepe and the Presidents of the football federations of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
During the meeting, Motsepe welcomed the countries’ ambition to co-host the tournament and encouraged them to continue following the established bidding procedures.
The three nations, which form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), are seeking to bring the continental championship to the region through a shared hosting arrangement.
Burkina Faso previously hosted AFCON in 1998, Mali staged the tournament in 2002, while Niger has never hosted the competition.
CAF recently opened the bidding process for the 2028, 2032 and 2036 editions of the Africa Cup of Nations, with the Sahel trio becoming the first officially declared candidates for the 2032 tournament.
The confederation is expected to evaluate all bids before announcing the successful host nation or nations.
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