Guinea has formally entered the race to host the Africa Cup of Nations in either 2032 or 2036, with the country’s government making the tournament a national priority.
Guinean Sports Minister Mamadou Cellou Baldé confirmed that the country has submitted its application to host the continent’s biggest football competition.
“Guinea will be a candidate to host the Africa Cup of Nations, either in 2032 or 2036,” Baldé said, adding that the prime minister signed the official application letter on Thursday on behalf of the president.
The announcement represents another attempt by Guinea to stage the AFCON after the country previously lost its hosting rights for the 2025 tournament.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) withdrew Guinea’s right to host that edition after determining that the country was not sufficiently prepared in terms of the infrastructure and facilities needed to organise the competition.
The latest bid indicates that Guinea intends to use the additional time available before either 2032 or 2036 to improve its preparations and develop the facilities required for a tournament of continental scale.
Should the country’s bid succeed, Guinea would have several years to work on major infrastructure projects before welcoming teams and supporters from across Africa.
Among the areas expected to require development are stadiums, transport networks and accommodation, alongside other facilities necessary to stage the tournament successfully.
The government’s decision to make hosting AFCON a national priority reflects Guinea’s determination to avoid the problems that affected its previous attempt.
The country will now have to compete with other African nations and regional groupings that are also considering bids for future editions of the competition.
One of the potential challengers is a joint proposal from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
The three Sahel nations have already expressed their intention to work together in a bid for the 2032 tournament. Their combined application is therefore expected to be one of the main proposals competing with Guinea for that edition.
Senegal is also reportedly preparing an application to host the 2032 AFCON, adding another established footballing nation to the list of potential candidates.
Libya could provide further competition, with the country reportedly considering bids for the 2028, 2032 or 2036 editions.
The number of countries expressing interest highlights the growing competition to stage the tournament.
For Guinea, the latest application provides an opportunity to demonstrate that lessons have been learned from the loss of the 2025 hosting rights.
The country now has a potentially lengthy preparation period if it is selected for either 2032 or 2036. That would allow authorities to focus on improving infrastructure and ensuring that stadiums and other facilities meet the requirements needed to host Africa’s leading international football tournament.
Guinea’s bid will ultimately have to be assessed alongside proposals from other potential hosts as the process for selecting future AFCON venues develops.
The competition for hosting rights is expected to intensify as more countries seek the opportunity to stage the tournament.
Guinea’s latest declaration therefore marks the beginning of another attempt to bring the AFCON to the country, after its previous hosting plans were abandoned because of concerns over readiness.
With the government now formally behind the bid, Guinea will hope that its longer-term preparations can convince CAF that it is capable of delivering the tournament in either 2032 or 2036.
