24 teams will contest the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) when the next tournament takes place in 2019, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed.
CAF’s Executive Committee rubber-stamped the proposal on Thursday, at a meeting in the Moroccan capital, Rabat.
Africa’s flagship sporting event has featured 16 teams since 1996.
This implies that two teams from each of the 12 qualifying groups in the ongoing campaign, including the hosts, will sail through.
However, a decision on whether the finals will be moved from January and February to June and July is still awaited.
Meanwhile, Morocco is reported to have committed to hosting the 2019 event should Cameroon fail to cope with the burden of the expanded tournament.
The West African country that will be defending the title won in January will have recently been under pressure with critics doubting her preparedness for AFCON even before today’s development.
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