South Africa, Botswana & Zimbabwe submit joint bid
South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia have officially submitted a joint bid to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations, in what could become a historic first for African football.
The Southern African nations are hoping to bring the continent’s biggest football tournament back to the COSAFA region, with the proposal aiming to showcase the region’s infrastructure, football culture and ability to stage a major continental event.
If successful, the bid would mark the first time in AFCON history that four countries jointly host the tournament. While multi-country hosting has become common in world football, such as the 2020 UEFA European Championship hosted across several nations, it would be a new milestone for Africa’s premier football competition.
Botswana Football Association President and COSAFA President Tariq Babitseng confirmed that the bid was submitted on time, expressing confidence that the region has the necessary facilities and transport networks to deliver a successful tournament.
“We submitted on time to host the tournament in Southern Africa. We have the transport routes and the infrastructure to host a successful tournament,” Babitseng said.
The bid comes at a time when Southern Africa believes it deserves another opportunity to stage AFCON. The last three editions of the tournament have been hosted in Central, West and North Africa, while the 2027 edition will be held in East Africa through a joint bid by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
For Zimbabwe, the bid represents a major opportunity to return to the centre of African football. The country has never hosted the AFCON finals before, although it has a rich football history and continues efforts to improve its sporting infrastructure.
South Africa has previously hosted AFCON on two occasions, first in 1996 when Bafana Bafana lifted the trophy on home soil, and again in 2013. Angola remains the only other Southern African country to have hosted the tournament, staging the 2010 edition.
The four-country proposal also follows another major regional sporting partnership, with South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia set to co-host the 2027 Cricket World Cup, highlighting growing cooperation among Southern African nations in hosting international events.
A successful AFCON 2028 bid would see matches potentially spread across the four countries, allowing fans across the region to experience one of Africa’s biggest sporting events while boosting tourism and football development.
CAF will now evaluate all submitted bids before making a final decision on the hosts of the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations.
For Southern Africa, the campaign is not only about hosting a tournament but also about proving that the region has the ambition, passion and infrastructure to take centre stage in African football once again.
Leave a Reply