CAF Approves Stadiums: Morocco Leads with 18, DR Congo Has 3

CAF Stadium Approvals Showcase African Disparities

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has recently updated its list of approved stadiums for competitions across various countries in Africa. This latest assessment, announced on September 14, 2026, reveals significant disparities in the number of compliant infrastructures among African nations, with Morocco and South Africa leading the charge.

Morocco stands out with an impressive total of 18 approved stadiums, marking it as the country with the highest number of compliant facilities on the continent. Following closely is South Africa, which boasts 13 approved venues. Other notable countries include Algeria and Egypt, each with eight approved stadiums, while Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Mali each have six. Libya and Uganda have managed to secure approval for four infrastructures.

DR Congo's Stadiums and Their Classifications

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) is represented on this list with three approved stadiums. Two of these are located in Lubumbashi, in the Haut-Katanga region, while the capital, Kinshasa, has one recognized venue. The Complexe omnisports Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa has received a category 3 classification and features an artificial turf. Similarly, the TP Mazembe stadium in Lubumbashi is also classified as category 3 and includes an artificial playing surface.

The third stadium in DR Congo is the Frédéric Kibassa Maliba Stadium, also situated in Lubumbashi, which is classified as category 2 and has an artificial surface. The recent homologation of the Stade des Martyrs has alleviated previous doubts regarding the effectiveness of renovations carried out at the facility.

With three approved stadiums, DR Congo finds itself in a group of countries that have multiple compliant infrastructures, alongside nations such as Tanzania and Tunisia, which also have three approved venues.

At the lower end of the spectrum, Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Senegal each have two approved stadiums. Meanwhile, several countries, including Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Chad, Comoros, Congo-Brazzaville, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Niger, South Sudan, Togo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, are represented by only one compliant infrastructure.

This comprehensive list from CAF paints a stark picture of the state of sports infrastructure across Africa. It highlights the significant variations in the readiness of venues, with some countries enjoying a wealth of approved facilities while others struggle with limited options. In total, CAF's list enumerates 120 approved stadiums across 41 countries, detailing each venue's city, name, category, and type of turf.

As reported by radiookapi.net.