The Democratic Republic of Congo has signalled its intent to bid to host soccer’s Africa Cup of Nations, the continent’s top national teams competition, in 2019.

The country’s sports minister Badouin Banza Mukalay Nsungu announced yesterday that he had passed a dossier to FECOFA, the Congolese football federation, which had forwarded it to the Confederation of African Football for consideration.

It is envisaged that the tournament would utilise venues in the Congolese capital Kinshasa and the south-east city of Lubumbashi while Matadi, which is close to Kinshasa in the west, and Kisangani, in the north, could also host matches.

DR Congo, Africa’s second-largest country, has never previously staged the Cup of Nations, but has won the competition twice, in 1968 and 1974.

The national team was eliminated after the group stage of the recent competition held in South Africa and won by Nigeria.

The biennial Cup of Nations has now switched to odd-numbered years and the next two tournaments are scheduled to take place in Morocco in 2015 and Libya in 2017.

Sportcal