Senegal, well placed to host CAN 2027?

While the qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations (CAN) 2023 are being played, applications are already beginning to flow in to host the CAN 2027. Senegal has positioned itself to host the competition.

In the offices of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), applications from federations to host CAN 2027 are increasing. If the next CAN will be played in Côte d'Ivoire, and the next - in 2025 - in Guinea, six countries have already positioned themselves to organize the football meeting.

For the time being, the Moroccan candidacy is not yet certain. The Moroccan media cite sources close to the national federation to deny the application. However, last year, when doubts hovered over Cameroon's capacities to organize the last CAN, Morocco had tried to steal the organization of the competition at the last minute.

Tanzania, Zambia, Burkina Faso and the Botswana-Namibia tandem have already announced their candidacies for CAN 2023. The latest country to date, therefore, is Senegal which, according to several sports media, submitted its candidacy on Monday 6 June.

This explains, moreover, the renovations of several stadiums launched by the Senegalese government for three weeks. Currently, Senegal has two fairly well-equipped stadiums to host international competitions, namely the Stade Senghor and the recent Diamniadio one – the Stade Abdoulaye Wade.

Senegal 🇸🇳, Burkina Faso 🇧🇫, Morocco 🇲🇦, Zambia 🇿🇲, Tanzania 🇹🇿 and finally the duo Botswana 🇧🇼 / Namibia 🇳🇦 are officially candidates for the organization of CAN 2027. Designation of the host country in early 2023. (source @FootAfrica_En)

- Malick Traoré (@mlktraore) June 6, 2022

Why Senegal has every chance

It's not just a matter of number of stadiums, too. Even if sports infrastructure is both a prerequisite and a goal of CAF when studying the files. If the Senegalese candidacy has every chance, it is also for its economic viability. But also the presence of all security and regulatory factors in Senegal.

It should also be remembered that the recent victory of the Teranga Lions at CAN 2021 in Cameroon has greatly reinvigorated Senegalese football. It is certain that the State seeks to capitalize on it, but it is above all an opportunity to set up a "football heritage" in Senegal, having the best men's team in Africa according to the FIFA rankings since November 2018!

Last Saturday, Senegal also played its first match of the CAN 2023 qualifiers against Benin. Aliou Cissé's Lions won with 3 goals to one. A hat-trick from the locomotive of the Senegalese team Sadio Mané, who becomes the top scorer in the history of Senegal, therefore.

Read: CAN 2021: Sadio Mané, the hero of an entire nation