Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have expressed their desire to jointly organize the 2032 Africa Cup of Nations, according to their national federations.

The three countries, which are part of the Sahel States Alliance, are governed by military councils that came to power through coups and adopt independent sovereign policies.

These countries face serious security crises due to deadly attacks carried out by local branches of terrorist organizations, which have killed thousands of people and affected vast areas of their territory.

On Saturday in New York, officials from the football federations of the three countries participated in a working meeting with the President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), South African Patrice Motsepe, "as part of preparing a joint bid to host the 2032 Africa Cup of Nations," according to a statement dated Tuesday from the Malian Football Federation.

The Malian Federation explained that this step represents "a crucial phase in the path of the bid" and now allows the three federations to continue the procedures stipulated in CAF's regulations regarding the granting of hosting rights for the 2032 edition of the tournament.

The statement added that the three federations will continue "the necessary work to prepare a strong and credible bid file that carries a new vision for African football," with the aim of "presenting a tournament for the continent that meets international standards."

The Niger Football Federation also announced this step.

Burkina Faso previously hosted the Africa Cup of Nations in 1998, Mali hosted the 2002 edition, while Niger has never organized the continental finals.

In recent years, both Ouagadougou and Bamako have seen investments in sports infrastructure, enabling Mali to have 5 CAF-approved stadiums, while Burkina Faso obtained approval for its main stadium, "August 4 Stadium," in the capital Ouagadougou in 2025.

As for Niger, it is still continuing rehabilitation work on the General Seyni Kountché Stadium to meet the required standards, after being banned from hosting international matches since 2022.

The next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled to be jointly held in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 2027.