Egypt will be hosting the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) from 21 June to 19 July for the fifth time, to be the most country organising this championship. The four other editions were in 1959, 1974, 1986, and 2006. The championship will be seeing the participation of 24 teams for the first time in its history.
Since the announcement that Egypt will be organising the championship this year, intensive preparations have been taking place in Egypt for hosting the major event – the third biggest football event in the world after the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Cup. This event requires various parties to coordinate and work hard to hold the event in a way that suits Egypt’s position in the world.
Economic experts have emphasised that Egypt’s hosting of AFCON will have many economic gains, including substantial tourist activity in the cities hosting the matches.
The hosting country is allowed to broadcast all the tournament’s matches, receiving $1,500 per match, which means that a material gain can be earned through TV advertisements. Additionally, the hosting country is allowed to receive 20% of all the CAF revenues from the championship, including tickets, match broadcasting, and advertisements inside stadiums.
The CAF had withdrawn the hosting right of the championship from Cameroon due to delay in building stadiums and required infrastructure.
Tourist expert Atef Abdellatef said that the current circumstances will be leading to the recovery of tourism in Egypt, noting that the country should be ready for receiving thousands of football fans from across the continent.
The tourist expert estimated that each fan visiting Egypt during the tournament will be spending an average of $1,000.
Abdelmoneim El-Sayed, the chairperson of the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies (ECES), said that there will be other gains from organising this championship, including the participating teams’ trips across the country which would stimulate activities in restaurants, hotels, transportation, and tourism companies that will offer them services.
