CAF Announces Homologated Stadiums for Early Rounds of Champions League and Confederation Cup

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has released the official list of approved stadiums for the initial rounds of the Champions League (LdC) and Confederation Cup (CdC). This announcement comes shortly after the draw for the preliminary rounds, offering clarity on which nations will host the upcoming fixtures.

Leading the pack is South Africa, boasting an impressive 11 stadiums that meet international standards. Trailing behind are Egypt, Morocco, and Ivory Coast, each with six approved venues. Algeria closely follows with five accredited stadiums.

The Shocking Case of Nigeria

Despite its reputation as a football powerhouse, Nigeria has surprisingly only one stadium deemed fit by CAF—the Akwa Ibom International Stadium in Uyo. This stark contrast with nations like Equatorial Guinea and Rwanda, which can each boast multiple approved venues, has raised eyebrows across the continent.

Notable Mentions

Cameroon offers four certified stadiums, while Tunisia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Libya have two each. Senegal’s lone accredited venue is the Me Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Diamniadio.

A Grim Picture for Many

Unfortunately, 26 countries, including Congo, failed to secure any approved stadiums. This list notably includes Niger, whose team AS Garde Nationale du Niger will have to host their Champions League opponents, Raja Casablanca, in a foreign country due to this shortfall.

Future Updates

It’s important to note that this list pertains only to the preliminary rounds of the interclub competitions and may evolve as we approach the qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN 2025) in September, pending further inspections by CAF.

Countries without approved stadiums:

Benin
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Congo
Djibouti
Eritrea
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Gambia
Guinea
Kenya
Lesotho
Madagascar
Malawi
Namibia
Niger
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
São Tomé and Príncipe
Somalia
South Sudan
Sudan
Zimbabwe

This development highlights the significant disparities in football infrastructure across the continent, and it will be interesting to see how these nations address this challenge moving forward.

Twitter Buzz

Osasu Obayiuwana’s tweet encapsulates the surprise and reactions:

Nigeria, the so-called giant of #Africa, has only ONE stadium good enough to play @CAF_Online matches in – the Uyo Stadium. Even the Abuja Stadium doesn’t cut the mustard. #Rwanda and #Uganda can boast of two stadia. And Equatorial Guinea can boast of three…

— Osasu Obayiuwana (@osasuo) July 13, 2024