User:Amakuru/Draft 8

Host selection
To determine the host nation for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) held a bidding process in 2010–11, which also selected the host for the 2015 tournament. Nations were invited to submit bids for both events, with one bidder selected for each. Botswana, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Guinea, Morocco, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, all expressed interest in hosting the event, but only the DRC, Morocco and South Africa submitted formal bids by the September 2010 deadline. CAF began an inspection procedure in November, visiting each bidding country to view stadiums, infrastructure, and football interest. Their first visit was to the DRC. However, the Congolese Association Football Federation then announced in the same month that it was withdrawing from the process, citing a lack of sufficient government resources to fund the infrastructure for the tournament. This left Morocco and South Africa as the only remaining bidders, with both nations guaranteed one competition each. The CAF executive met in Lubumbashi in January 2011 and awarded the 2017 tournament to South Africa, with Morocco selected for 2015. It was scheduled to be South Africa's second Cup of Nations, after they previously hosted the event in 1996.

On 29 January, during the 2011 CAF Super Cup, the CAF executive committee decided that Morocco would host 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, while the 2017 edition would be held in South Africa. However, due to the Libyan Civil War, Libya and South Africa traded years with South Africa hosting in 2013 and Libya hosting in 2017.

Second bidding
Bids :


 * Algeria
 * Egypt
 * Gabon
 * Ghana

After Libya was withdrawn as the venue on 22 August 2014, the CAF announced that they would be receiving applications for the new hosts until 30 September 2014.

Algeria, Egypt, Gabon, and Ghana, were determined by the CAF to be compliant with the host criteria. Later, Egypt withdrew.

Other countries which expressed an interest but did not bid included Ethiopia, Mali, and Tanzania. Kenya discussed a joint bid with neighbors Rwanda and Uganda, but eventually bid alone.

On 8 April 2015, CAF President Issa Hayatou announced Gabon as the replacement hosts following votes by the CAF Executive Committee.