The D-day is nigh

Botswana is sitting on the edge this evening (27 September 2023), awaiting the announcement of the host country for the 2027 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament. The Botswana BIDCo has put a lot of effort into preparing its bid to host the tournament, and they are hopeful that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) delegates will select Botswana as the host country. The decision is being made in Cairo, Egypt this evening after a secret ballot box voting, and the anticipation is real.The CAF Executive Committee meeting in Cairo, chaired by Dr Patrice Motsepe, will determine the host nations for the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON 2025 and AFCON 2027 tournaments. Each bidding delegation will have 10 minutes to present their case, followed by a question-and-answer session. The CAF Executive Committee will then convene in private to cast their votes, which will be done by secret ballot.Botswana has sent a formidable delegate to the meeting consisting of the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Tumiso Rakgare, chairman of the BNSC, Marumo Morule, the bid Chairman Ashford Mamelodi, BNSC CEO Tuelo Serufho, Botswana Football Association (BFA) Vice President 1 Masego Ntshingane, BFA Vice President 2 Moakaneng Bontshetse, and BFA CEO Mfolo Edwin Mfolo.Ashford Mamelodi has expressed confidence in the positive response that Botswana has received from voting members. He mentioned that Botswana has been actively lobbying for votes and working hard to secure the tournament. However, he acknowledged that the outcome of the vote is uncertain, as other countries are also bidding and the voting members are weighing all their options.“On September 27, the Botswana AFCON Bid Committee will present their bid to the CAF voting delegates. After all the countries have presented their bids, the voting delegates will decide which country will host the AFCON tournament. The country that wins the bid will be announced at a later date,” he said.The Botswana bid for the 2027 AFCON tournament is competing against bids from Nigeria, Benin, Senegal, Algeria, and a joint bid from East African countries Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda; Botswana acknowledges that the competition is tough but remains optimistic about their chances. The country has worked hard to sell the bid and impress the CAF facilities auditors.They have also put together a comprehensive and impressive bid book. Botswana is committed to giving it their all-in today’s presentation before CAF voting delegates and make strong case why they should host the tournament.“We have been making phone calls and meeting with voting delegates to share our dream of hosting the AFCON with them. We received positive responses from many delegates, and they have indicated that they are also considering other bids," Mamelodi said.This is Botswana's first-time bidding to host the AFCON tournament, and the Government is fully behind the bid.

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The D-day is nigh