The Confederation of African Football says Gabon will stage the 2012 African Nations Cup final and co-hosts Equatorial Guinea will have the opening game.
Four venues are to be used for the next championship which will again be held in January.
Officials said Gabon would build a new stadium in Libreville, where the final will be played, and renovate another in Franceville.
Equatorial Guinea have already built new stadiums in the capital Malabo and in Bata.
It will be the second time the tournament is co-hosted after Ghana and Nigeria took over in 2000 when Zimbabwe were behind with preparations and stripped of the right to host the event.