Ghana's Minister of Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, has signaled interest in a joint bid with Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire to host the FIFA World Cup after 2034. This potential partnership builds on the countries' shared history of co-hosting major tournaments and their strong football legacies. Adams highlighted the growing trend of multi-nation bids as an opportunity for West Africa.
Ghana's Minister of Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, recently suggested that Ghana, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire could collaborate on a bid to host the FIFA World Cup, potentially after Saudi Arabia's 2034 edition. Speaking on the evolving landscape of international football, Adams pointed to FIFA's increasing acceptance of multi-country hosting, as seen in the 2026 tournament across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and the 2030 event involving Morocco, Spain, and Portugal.
The three nations have a proven track record in African football. Ghana has won five Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) titles, Nigeria three with the last in 2013, and Côte d’Ivoire recently hosted and won the 2023 AFCON. Nigeria has qualified for six of the last eight World Cups but missed the 2026 edition, while Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire have secured spots for 2026. Infrastructure investments bolster their case: Côte d’Ivoire's 2023 AFCON success, Ghana's hosting of the postponed 2023 African Games in 2024, and Nigeria's previous events including the 1980 AFCON, the joint 2000 AFCON with Ghana, the 1999 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Adams emphasized the readiness of the trio. “They (FIFA) are beginning to adopt a number of nations doing it, so, maybe who knows, the next one could be Ghana, Nigeria, and then Côte d’lvoire coming together to also host the World Cup, and it will be good,” he said, as reported by Modern Ghana. He added, “I believe that we, together with Nigeria and Côte d’lvoire, who have already invested quite a lot because they hosted AFCON not too long ago. We can also make a strong case to host.”
This idea echoes earlier proposals, such as former Nigerian captain Segun Odegbami's early-2000s vision for a West African World Cup involving multiple ECOWAS nations, which fizzled before South Africa's 2010 hosting. A Ghana-Nigeria-Côte d’Ivoire bid could position West Africa strongly in future FIFA competitions.