Cameroon announced as 2021 Africa Cup of Nations hosts
The competition was already scheduled to be held in Ivory Coast.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Friday that Cameroon has agreed to stage the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after being stripped of the 2019 finals.
The decision comes as a surprise, as the 2021 tournament was already scheduled to be held in Ivory Coast.
"Cameroon has officially accepted to host the AFCON 2021 through an official letter addressed to CAF," a statement by CAF said.
"[It is] signed by the Cameroonian Head of State, His Excellency Paul Biya."
Due to poor preparations and security issues, Cameroon were stripped of hosting the 2019 finals after a CAF Executive Committee meeting on 30 November.
Ivory Coast unsatisfied
Ivory Coast are not completely satisfied with the decision by CAF. Last week, the country’s FA submitted an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
It is believed that the western Africa nation will now host the 2023 edition of the tournament, which was already scheduled to be staged in Guinea, who may be pushed back to the following edition.
In the meantime, the 2019 AFCON will be held in either South Africa or Egypt, who are the only countries who applied to replace Cameroon as hosts. A decision is set to be made on 9 January at an executive meeting in Senegal.