Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea bid to host the 2020 Africa Women's Cup of Nations

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have confirmed its interest with Caf to replace Congo as the 2020 Africa Women's Cup of Nations (Awcon) hosts.

Congo-Brazaville were awarded the 12-team tournament's hosting rights in September 2018 but has opted to pull out of hosting the women's finals due to financial issues.

With this development in July last year, ‪Caf is desperately seeking an emergency host for the women's showpiece after South Africa rejected the approach to organise the event a fourth time.

Nigeria's interest to organize the showpiece comes after losing the Fifa U20 Women's World Cup to Costa Rica and Panama recently, as the NFF seeks to develop the women's game in the country.

‪"We've formally written to Caf about the interest to host the event," NFF's spokesman Ademola Olajire told BBC Sport.‬

"We are working on the bidding documents and we should get it over to Caf soon. This is the home of women's football and the leading football nation in the continent.

"I believe it's the right time to do it again. We've done it before and we believe it will be like bringing it home again."

On the other hand, Caf president Ahmad Ahmad has also confirmed the interest of two-time winners Equatorial Guinea in hosting the competition.‬

Ahmad told the French radio station RFI that a final decision will be taken when its executive committee meets on January 15.‬

If Nigeria wins the hosting rights, it would be the fourth time for them to organize the tournament as they have previously staged it in 1998, 2002 and 2006. They have won nine of the last 11 editions.

Equatorial Guinea, has hosted the tournament twice before in 2008 and 2012, winning it on both occasions.