The President of the Confederation of African Football, Patrice Motsepe, has voiced his support for the idea of an African nation hosting the World Cup tournament in the future.
Speaking at the final press conference of the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held at the Main Media Centre at Palace de la Culture, the South African football administrator emphasized that Nigeria should be among the countries to consider bidding for the hosting rights.
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Nigeria's Potential as a World Cup Host
"Nigeria must put in a bid. The Nigerian president (Bola Tinubu) is coming to watch the final on Sunday. I will have a conversation with him about it," Motsepe stated, as reported by Making of Champions, responding to a query from a journalist about the potential for another African country to host the World Cup.
The last time an African nation hosted the World Cup was in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. The bidding process for hosting the tournament finals was exclusively open to African nations, with South Africa ultimately being selected over Egypt and Morocco by FIFA in 2004.
Nigeria has also previously hosted an international football event, the thirteenth edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, held from 24 October to 15 November 2009.
Morocco, in partnership with Portugal and Spain, is set to host the 2030 World Cup, marking the first time the tournament will be jointly hosted by two continents.