عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

Morocco, East African Nations Win Africa Cup of Nations Hosting Rights

Confederation of African Football (CAF) chief Patrice Motsepe announces the host countries for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations during a ceremony held in Cairo on September 27, 2023. © Khaled Desouki, AFP
Confederation of African Football (CAF) chief Patrice Motsepe announces the host countries for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations during a ceremony held in Cairo on September 27, 2023. © Khaled Desouki, AFP
TT
TT

Morocco, East African Nations Win Africa Cup of Nations Hosting Rights

Confederation of African Football (CAF) chief Patrice Motsepe announces the host countries for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations during a ceremony held in Cairo on September 27, 2023. © Khaled Desouki, AFP
Confederation of African Football (CAF) chief Patrice Motsepe announces the host countries for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations during a ceremony held in Cairo on September 27, 2023. © Khaled Desouki, AFP

Morocco won by default after Algeria, Zambia and a joint bid from Benin and Nigeria all withdrew before the vote of the Confederation of African Football's executive committee in Cairo on Wednesday.

The north African country was a runaway favorite and will see the decision as a boost to their hopes of co-hosting the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Spain, Reuters reported.

It is only the second time that Morocco will host Africa's most popular sporting event, almost four decades after the previous time in 1988.

The joint East African bid for 2027 returns the finals to the region for the first time since 1976.

They beat Botswana, Egypt and Senegal in a vote of the CAF executive committee. Algeria were also a candidate but withdrew on Tuesday.

Most Viewed

 
 
Sports

Amorim is 'Very Excited' about where 14th-place Man United Can Go in 2025

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim reacts at the end of the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Newcastle United in Manchester, Britain, 30 December 2024. EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim reacts at the end of the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Newcastle United in Manchester, Britain, 30 December 2024. EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN
TT
TT

Amorim is 'Very Excited' about where 14th-place Man United Can Go in 2025

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim reacts at the end of the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Newcastle United in Manchester, Britain, 30 December 2024. EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim reacts at the end of the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Newcastle United in Manchester, Britain, 30 December 2024. EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN

Despite his team entering 2025 in 14th place in the Premier League, Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is “very excited” about the year ahead.
United’s 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle on Monday saw it suffer five league losses in the same calendar month for the first time since September 1962, and a fourth straight reverse in all competitions means the Red Devils have lost six of their last eight.
But in a message posted on his club's official X account on New Year’s Eve, Amorim wrote: “I know it will take a lot of hard work from everyone to get there, but I am very excited about where we can go together in 2025.”
Amorim is yet to halt the alarming slide which led to Erik ten Hag’s dismissal in October, and his team is seven points above the drop zone with increasing talk of a relegation fight, including by Amorim himself who has called it “a possibility.”
But the Portuguese says he's determined to press on with the 3-4-3 system despite the difficulties United’s squad has had in adapting, The Associated Press reported.
“Of course I didn’t choose the players specifically for these positions but that I already knew,” he said. “But I understand they have a lot of difficulties because they spend two years playing one way and then they are playing another."
Amorim did not have the benefit of a pre-season to implement such a major change to United’s tactical model, and admitted that is having a significant impact.
“I think the players are losing everything, the small things that we try to work on in training," Amorim said. "After one goal they lose everything because we don’t have the base, we don’t have time to build the base to cope with the difficult moments so it’s really hard in this moment.”
United has the toughest of starts to 2025 when it travels to play league leader Liverpool on Sunday in what is widely considered English soccer’s fiercest rivalry.