Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has announced that his country aims to host the Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2029.
Lilia Habboul
According to Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia has the necessary resources to host AFCON. The Prime Minister stated that building a few additional stadiums would be sufficient to achieve this goal.
This announcement was made during the closing ceremony of the Shenen African Fashion Week in Addis Ababa.
Ethiopian Minister of Culture and Sports, Kejela Merdasa, had already unveiled ambitious plans last April for Ethiopia to bid for AFCON 2029 or 2031, highlighting the need for at least six stadiums that meet CAF standards.
Merdasa also noted that while Ethiopia currently lacks stadiums that meet CAF requirements, forcing the national team to play abroad, efforts are underway to build new stadiums and renovate existing ones, according to africatopsports.
Ethiopia has previously hosted AFCON in 1962, 1968, and 1976.