2028 Africa Cup of Nations bids

The 2028 Africa Cup of Nations bids refer to the selection process organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to determine the host nation(s) for the 2028 edition of the tournament. 2028 Africa Cup of Nations will mark the beginning of a new era for the Africa Cup of Nations, as it inaugurates the competition’s four-year hosting cycle.

In December 2025, CAF opened bidding for the 2028, 2032, and 2036 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, with a deadline of 1 February 2026 for submission of official bid documents, including formal government guarantees.[1][2][3]

On 12 February 2026, CAF confirmed that it had received three official bids to host the 2028 tournament: Ethiopia, Morocco, and a joint bid from Botswana and South Africa.[4]

Bids

 Botswana &  South Africa (joint bid)

In January 2026, Botswana and South Africa announced a joint bid to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations. The proposal was presented during a meeting of the CAF Executive Committee in Rabat, Morocco, where future continental competitions were discussed.

Interest from Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe was reported during early consultations; however, no additional countries joined the bid, and Botswana and South Africa proceeded as dual co-hosts.[5][6][7] CAF officially confirmed the Botswana–South Africa joint bid on 12 February 2026. [8]

South Africa previously hosted the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996 and 2013, while Botswana has never hosted the tournament.

 Ethiopia

On 2 January 2026, the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) confirmed that it had submitted an official bid to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations.[9] Although Ethiopia did not have any CAF-approved stadiums at the time, the Ministry of Culture and Sports announced plans to construct six new stadiums as part of a long-term infrastructure strategy.[10]

Ethiopia has previously hosted AFCON in 1962, 1968 and 1976.[11]

 Morocco

On 28 December 2025, during its hosting of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco expressed interest in hosting the 2028 tournament as part of preparations for the Centenary 2030 FIFA World Cup, which it will co-host with Portugal and Spain, along with their bid to host the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.[12] The bid was also reported to align with Morocco’s broader international football hosting ambitions.

Morocco hosted in 1998 and the 2025 tournament, which was reported to have generated record global viewership and digital engagement.[13]

Previously expressed interest in bidding

The following countries previously expressed interest in bidding but did not submit official proposals for the 2028 tournament; they may instead target the 2032 and 2036 editions of the Africa Cup of Nations.

  •  Angola – After speaking to the local media in 2023, President João Lourenço stated that Angola was preparing to submit a future bid.[14] The country hosted the AFCON in 2010.
  •  Egypt – On 30 December 2025, Mohamed El-Shazly, spokesperson for Egypt’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, announced Egypt’s intention to apply to host the 2028 tournament.[18] However, on 1 February 2026, Egypt confirmed it would instead refocus its efforts on the 2032 and 2036 editions.[19][20]
  •  Guinea &  Mali — Mali previously hosted the Africa Cup of Nations in 2002 and the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in 1995. Guinea has never hosted the senior tournament and withdrew from hosting the 2025 edition due to preparation delays, but it has hosted the U-17 tournament in 1999. On 5 October 2025, Guinea confirmed its intention to bid for a future Africa Cup of Nations.[22]
  •  Rwanda – Rwanda has never hosted the Africa Cup of Nations but has previously staged youth competitions, including the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in 2009 and the U-17 edition in 2011.[23]
  •  Senegal (potentially with  Mauritania) – On 18 September 2024, the Director General of SOGIP (Société de Gestion des Infrastructures Publiques des pôles urbains de Diamniadio et du Lac Rose) confirmed that Senegal intended to submit a bid for the 2029 tournament.[24][25] However, Senegal withdrew on 18 October 2024, citing infrastructure constraints.[26] In December 2025, Mauritania's football federation president, Ahmed Yahya, expressed interest in a potential joint bid with Senegal after Guinea declined a previous proposal.[27]
  •  Zambia – After nine unsuccessful attempts to host the Africa Cup of Nations—most recently for the 2027 edition—Zambia expressed its intention to bid again.[28] The country has never hosted the tournament and was previously stripped of the 1988 hosting rights due to financial difficulties.

References

  1. ^ "CAF Opens Bidding For 2028, 2032, 2036 AFCONs". Basic Sports of Nigeria. 31 December 2025.
  2. ^ "CAF Delays Decision on AFCON Hosts for 2029–2035 As Bidding Battle Heats Up". Afroba Top Sports. 23 November 2025.
  3. ^ "SA to submit bid for 2028 AFCON with regional partners". Channel Africa. 17 January 2026.
  4. ^ "Three bids to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations". Daily Sports. 2026-02-12. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
  5. ^ "AFCON 2028: Lesotho backs South Africa's hosting bid - Blueprint Newspapers Limited". Blueprint. Abuja, Nigeria. January 31, 2026.
  6. ^ Solms, Leonard (February 2, 2026). "South Africa ready to host AFCON 2028, will be about 'fair play' - SA sports minister Gayton McKenzie". ESPN.com.
  7. ^ "Gayton McKenzie provides 2028 AFCON bid update | soccer". SABC. January 30, 2026.
  8. ^ "CAF confirm South Africa, Botswane joint bid for 2028 AFCON". IOL ZA. 2026-02-12. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
  9. ^ "Ethiopia submits official bid to host 2028 AFCON". Pan Africa Football. 2026-01-02. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
  10. ^ "Ethiopia Joins Bids to Host the 2029 Africa Cup of Nations - Ethio Negari". 2024-04-25. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  11. ^ "Football. Ethiopia Wants to Host AFCON 2029". Powers of Africa. 2024-07-03. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  12. ^ Gamra, Farah Ben (2025-12-28). "Morocco Reportedly Considers Bid to Host AFCON 2028". Morocco World News. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
  13. ^ "AFCON 2025: The edition of all the records?". Sport News Africa. 2026-01-26. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
  14. ^ "Patrice Motsepe encourages Angola to bid for AFCON 2029". SABC Sport. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  15. ^ "AFCON 2029: DR Congo moves towards a bid". Sport News Africa. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  16. ^ Adedeji, Sampson (14 Dec 2024). "Congo, DRC Congo Set To Present Joint Bid For 2029 AFCON". bsn Sports. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  17. ^ III, Admin (2024-02-24). "DR Congo move to bid for AFCON 2029". Blueprint. Abuja, Nigeria. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  18. ^ Karim, Abdul (2025-12-20). "Egypt set to submit bid to host 2028 Africa Cup of Nations". Africa Soccer. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
  19. ^ Adedeji, Sampson (2026-02-01). "Egypt Declares Interest In Hosting 2032 Or 2036 AFCON". BSN Sports. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
  20. ^ "Egyptian FA Requests to Host Africa Cup of Nations 2032 or 2036". EL Botola. 2026-02-02. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  21. ^ "Guinea Ecuatorial transmite al presidente de la CAF el deseo de albergar una de las ediciones de la CAN 2028 o 2030 - Huella Deportiva" (in Spanish). 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  22. ^ "Guinea AFCON sports minister confirms hosting bid plans". Pan-Africa Football. 2026-02-06. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
  23. ^ "CAN 2029–2035: six candidate countries!". Foot Africa. 2025-11-25. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
  24. ^ "Dame Mbodj (DG Sogip) : « Le Sénégal est candidat à l'organisation de la CAN 2029 et la FSF doit porter ce plaidoyer »". 19 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  25. ^ Sports, Pulse (2023-10-04). "Senegal prepare to bid for AFCON 2029". Pulse Sports Uganda. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  26. ^ "Senegal withdraws bid to host 2029 Africa Cup of Nations - AfricaSoccer.com". 2024-10-18. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  27. ^ Ghaffar, Saima (31 December 2025). "AFCON: Mauritania interested in co-hosting with Senegal". AfricaSoccer.com.
  28. ^ Malulu, Julius (2023-10-03). "Zambia plans to bid for the hosting of the 2029 AFCON". Bolanews. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
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