Egypt has expressed an interest in hosting the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), a U-turn on its earlier stand in which it ruled itself out.
The Egypt Football Association (EFA) on Thursday said it was keen on replacing Cameroon as the new host for the continental showpiece to be staged in June.
The North African side last week said it would not place a bid for the tournament to avoid jeopardising fellow Arab nation Morocco.
Morocco however said earlier on Thursday that it had backed out of the race to host the competition.
Egypt’s decision follows a meeting between EFA President Hany Abo Rida and his Confederation of African Football (CAF) counterpart Ahmad Ahmad.
“We’re preparing a file to send to Caf and we’re waiting for formal approval from the government,” EFA’s Ahmed Megahed told reporters.
CAF stripped Cameroon of the rights to host the 2019 AFCON last month, promising to find a replacement before the end of the year.
