The Confederation of African Football (CAF), which stripped Kenya of the hosting rights due to infrastructure concerns, confirmed the three countries all registered their interest before the deadline on Saturday (September 30).

The CAF said a decision on where the tournament, the second-tier competition in Africa behind the Cup of Nations, will be held would be made within 15 days of the deadline.

"At its meeting on September 23, 2017, CAF Executive Committee decided to complete the process of selecting a new host country for the tournament scheduled for January 2018, within 15 days after Kenya, the initial host, failed to meet the requirements," a CAF statement read.

Kenya were stripped of the event by the CAF Executive Committee during its meeting in Accra in Ghana on September 23.

It followed the recommendation of a CAF inspection team, led by FIFA Council member and vice-president Constant Omari.

They reported that only one of the four venues necessary to stage the tournament, due to take place between January 12 and February 4 next year, was ready. 

The event differs from the higher-level Africa Cup of Nations as only players who represent clubs on the continent are allowed to take part.

There was also concern about the political situation in Kenya, where recently annulled Presidential elections are set to be rerun on October 26. 

Football Federation Kenya (KFK) President Nick Mwendwa had promised to resign if the country lost the hosting rights.

Mwendwa has since made a U-turn on his original stance, claiming he only made the pledge if the KFK were found to be responsible.

He has now blamed the Kenyan Government.

Equatorial Guinea's submission comes after it staged the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 2015.

Ethiopia has hosted the continent's premier Cup of Nations event on three occasions but not since 1976.

Morocco recently launched its bid for the 2026 World Cup, where they will compete against a joint effort from the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The nation had previously expressed its willingness to step in to host next year's African Nations Championship.

It led to criticism from officials in Kenya, who claimed there were people within the CAF who did not want the country to host the 2018 edition of the event.

Neither Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia or Morocco has ever hosted the African Nations Championship.