Four nations joint bid to co-host AFCON 2028 faces competition from Moroccan and Ethiopian rival proposals
South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe have bid to co-host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals in what would be a first for the continent, with four countries staging a single edition.
Botswana Football Association President Tariq Babitseng confirmed the bid was submitted on time, saying the consortium is hopeful of earning the hosting rights.
Babitseng made the announcement in Harare, where he was simultaneously elected the new president of the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) – the largest of CAF’s six zonal unions. He told reporters: “We submitted on time to host the tournament in southern Africa. We have the transport routes and the infrastructure to host a successful tournament.”
While the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has no formal rotation policy, the last three editions were staged in central, west and north Africa respectively, and the 2027 finals will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in the east of the continent – leaving the south as the only region yet to stage the modern tournament.
South Africa hosted in 1996 and 2013, and Angola in 2010, making them the only southern African nations to have hosted the Cup of Nations. Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe have never done so.
A new era for AFCON
The 2028 edition carries added significance, with CAF President Patrice Motsepe confirming in December 2025 that AFCON will move to a four-year cycle from 2028, ending the biennial format which has defined the tournament for decades.
The change forms part of a broader restructuring of the continental calendar, with an annual African Nations League – modelled on UEFA‘s Nations League – also planned from 2029. The 2027 edition in East Africa will be the last under the old two-year schedule, meaning 2028 opens a new chapter for the competition.
Morocco, which set a new infrastructural benchmark when it hosted between December 2025 and January 2026, has also submitted a bid, as has Ethiopia; so the southern African consortium faces serious competition. Morocco’s readiness and track record make them perennial favourites for any hosting decision, and Ethiopia’s bid is backed by a major stadium construction programme.
The four-nation format raised eyebrows, but it is not without parallel elsewhere in world football. EURO 2020 was staged across 11 countries, England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland will co-host Euro 2028, and the 2007 Asian Cup was shared between Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. For AFCON, however, it would be entirely new territory.
The southern African consortium’s argument centres partly on South Africa’s world-class infrastructure, including 13 stadiums already approved by CAF.
FNB Stadium in Johannesburg – which hosted the 2010 World Cup final – would be a natural centrepiece for the tournament’s showpiece matches. The consortium’s pitch is that the region can deliver without the construction risk that has undermined other African bids.
CAF’s executive committee is expected to make a decision on the host in due course, with inspections of bidding nations anticipated before any final vote.
