Egypt FA Leaves Borg Al Arab Off List Of Six Venues For Cup Of Nations

The Borg Al Arab will not be used for Cup of Nations. GETTY IMAGES

The Egypt FA announced that the Borg Al Arab stadium will "not be one of the main venues for the Africa Cup of Nations," according to Tarek Talaat of the BBC. This news "comes despite the fact that it is the largest stadium in Egypt," with a capacity of 86,000. EFA spokesperson Ahmed Megahed explained that it would be "hard to fill the stadium if the hosts were not playing." The venue "is relatively remote and there is no regular public transport for fans to use." Instead, it will be on standby to "host any matches involving Egypt that are due to be played outside Cairo." The EFA has told the Confederation of African Football that it plans to use a total of six stadia for the finals: Cairo Int'l Stadium, Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo, Alexandria Stadium, Al Masry Club Stadium in Port Said, Ismailia Stadium and Suez Stadium (BBC, 1/23).