AFCON-2025 in Morocco Will Be ‘Huge Success’ – CAF President

“The eyes of the world will be on the continent when the AFCON 2025 will be held, and I am convinced that this edition will be the best in the history of African football”, stressed Motsepe, in a statement to the press on the sidelines of the plenary session of the Annual Meetings of the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In this regard, he said he is “proud” of Morocco’s leadership in football, recently crowned by its selection to host the 2030 World Cup, jointly with Spain and Portugal.

CAF Executive Committee had unanimously chosen the Kingdom to host the 35th edition of AFCON in 2025.

The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) has congratulated the Kingdom of Morocco on winning the bid to host AFCON-2025, reported the Gambian media outlet “The Standard.”

The decision was announced on Wednesday by the President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after the Executive Committee of the continental football governing body voted in favor of the North African country during its meeting held in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, recalled the media outlet.

GFF President Lamin Kabba Bajo described the news as a very positive and well-deserved development, according to the publication. He added that with its high-quality infrastructure, no country was more deserving of hosting the 2025 edition.

Bajo paid tribute to Morocco’s pan-African gesture, which has continued to open its country and facilities to African national teams, including The Gambia, for many years, the same source added.

“Morocco’s various national teams continue to perform exceptionally well at international football tournaments, most recently the Atlas Lions, who became the first African country to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar. This is the result of the investments they have made over the years and continue to make,” highlighted Bajo.

He also referred to the bilateral cooperation between Morocco and Gambia, among others, in Africa, saying it’s time the continent also gave the Moroccan people reasons to smile.

“I have no doubt that they will organize an exceptional and extraordinary football mega-event,” Bajo said, quoted by the media.

Morocco has been awarded the 2025 African Cup of Nations to replace Guinea, which had the right to host the tournament withdrawn last year. The rights for 2027 have also been awarded to a joint bid from Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Madrid, 29/09/2023 -(MAP)- The unanimous designation of Morocco to host the African Cup of Nations (AFCON-2025) is “an excellent boost” for the tripartite Morocco-Spain-Portugal bid to host the 2030 World Cup and a “great source of joy for all friends of Morocco,” emphasized the Andalusia-Morocco friendship association “Forum Ibn Rochd”.

“We would like to express our joy at Morocco’s victory, designated by the Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football to host AFCON 2025, the most important football tournament on the continent,” the association stated in a press release.

The same source then highlighted that Morocco’s “well-deserved” selection is not a coincidence but the result of a combination of factors, including a “bold and coherent” state policy in this area, “massive and indisputable public support” for sports, both men’s and women’s, particularly football, and a “very high level in terms of quality and quantity of top-level athletes and international football stars,” as evidenced from its Olympic medals as well as the “outstanding performance” of the national team at the World Cup in Qatar.

“In Andalusia, we are aware of this because we are privileged to have some of the greatest figures in Moroccan football in our teams,” said the association.

“Morocco’s triumph in hosting AFCON-2025 will be an excellent point of support for our countries, Spain and Morocco, along with Portugal, in their bid to host the 2030 Football World Cup, symbolizing the profound twinning between our cultures, our societies, and our continents,” concluded the same source.

“The unceasing support of His Majesty the King and the great commitment of the leaders of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), who are always focused on success, led us to believe that the members of CAF would have no doubts, when it came to voting, in unanimously choosing the Kingdom of Morocco to organize this important continental soccer competition,” wrote the newspaper.

Under the headline “CAF chooses Morocco to organize AFCON 2025”, Jornal De Angola underscored that the quality of Morocco’s sports and hotel infrastructure convinced the leaders of the Confederation’s Executive Committee to unanimously award Morocco the organization of the 35th edition of the African Nations Championship.

The newspaper emphasizes that Morocco’s sports infrastructure was highly appreciated, even by FIFA directors, due to its quality, not to mention the excellent roads throughout the Kingdom.

Similarly, the newspaper echoed the words of FIFA President Giovanni Infantino, who hailed Morocco’s potential in the field of sports and its strong candidacy to host AFCON 2025.

“Morocco is a great country not only in football but also in the organization of major events,” he said.

In this context, the Angolan media outlet recalled that seven months ago, Morocco opened its doors to the continent as part of the Media Tour, a journalistic and tourism project that brought 162 journalists from several African countries, including Angola, to the Kingdom. The aim was to showcase the country’s ability to organize major international competitions.

The media representatives witnessed stadiums in good condition, quality hotels, modern transportation, tourism opportunities, medical facilities, and well-maintained roads that will enable supporters, tourists, and participating teams to move around seamlessly.

Noting that Morocco has several world-class stadiums to host the games of the 35th edition of the continental competition, the media reported that AFCON 2025 will be played in six Moroccan cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, Fez, Tangier, and Agadir.

“All six stadiums have been built to modern standards and meet FIFA requirements, making them capable of hosting any type of official competition, including AFCON, World Cup, and Olympic Games,” the newspaper praised.