Egypt confirmed as 2019 AFCON hosts
Breaking - Egypt has won the right to host the 2019 AFCON
Egypt has been confirmed as hosts for the 2019 African Cup of Nations, beating South Africa for the honour. The tournament had previously been with West African nation Cameroon, however, the tournament was taken away from the country due to preparation issues and safety concerns in the country. For the 2019 edition of the tournament, the Africa Cup of Nations has expanded from 16 teams to 24 this time around.
Africa's governing body announced the expansion in July 2017, after Cameroon – who are the defending champions – had been named as hosts. South Africa had also been in the running to take over from Cameroon but reports have suggested a lack of backing from the government swiftly saw it become an unlikely choice.
Egypt will be the country to benefit from the change, as the tournament returns to the nation that hosted the 2006 edition – the Pharaohs lifting the trophy on that occasion. South Africa lost out 16-1 on votes to Egypt, CAF announced at Tuesday's news conference.