CAF opens bidding for AFCON 2028

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially opened the bid process for the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), with Ethiopia, Morocco and a joint bid from Botswana and South Africa emerging as the top contenders to host the continent’s biggest football tournament.

The announcement marks the start of a new hosting cycle as CAF seeks to strengthen the organization of its flagship competition and encourage more African nations to stage major international football events.

CAF revealed that the tender also covers the 2032 and 2036 editions of the Africa Cup of Nations, offering interested countries the opportunity to compete for hosting rights over the next decade.

CAF confirms host contenders

According to continental football’s governing body, Ethiopia, Morocco and the Botswana-South Africa joint bid have submitted their expressions of interest ahead of the February 2026 deadline.

Ethiopia is looking to host the tournament independently, while Morocco hopes to stage another edition of the competition after successfully hosting numerous continental and international football events.

Botswana and South Africa, on the other hand, are pursuing a joint bid aimed at showcasing regional cooperation and leveraging their combined sporting infrastructure to host the championship.

The emergence of the three bids signals strong initial interest in staging Africa’s premier football competition.

The bidding process begins

CAF explained that all potential host nations must submit detailed bidding documents supported by formal government guarantees demonstrating their willingness to stage the tournament.

The assessment process will consider key requirements, including stadium infrastructure, training facilities, accommodation capacity, transport systems, security arrangements, medical services and overall organizational capacity.

It is expected that the confederation will carry out thorough inspection visits before making a final decision on the winning hosts.

The early opening of the tender process is intended to provide host nations with sufficient time to prepare facilities that meet the CAF’s increasing standards for international competition.

Competition is expected to intensify

With three strong contenders already in the running, competition for hosting rights is expected to intensify as CAF continues its evaluation process.

The Africa Cup of Nations remains Africa’s largest football tournament, attracting millions of television viewers, thousands of traveling fans and significant commercial investment from around the world.

Hosting the competition is widely seen as an opportunity to promote tourism, stimulate economic activity, improve sporting infrastructure and raise a country’s international profile.

CAF is expected to announce further details regarding the bidding timeline and evaluation process as preparations continue for the selection of hosts of the 2028, 2032 and 2036 editions of the continental showpiece.