South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe have submitted a joint bid to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), in what could become the first edition of the tournament to be staged by four countries.
Botswana Football Association president Tariq Babitseng confirmed that the bid was submitted before the deadline and expressed confidence in the region’s ability to organise a successful Tournament. “We submitted on time to host the tournament in Southern Africa,” Babitseng told reporters in Harare after being elected president of the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations. “We have the transport routes and the infrastructure to host a successful tournament,” he added.
Although the Confederation of African Football has no official rotational hosting policy, the last three AFCON tournaments have been held in Central, West and North Africa, while the 2027 edition will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in East Africa.
The proposed Southern African bid follows a growing global trend of multi-country sporting events. South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe are also set to co-host the 2027 Cricket World Cup.
If successful, the four-nation AFCON hosting arrangement would mirror other continental tournaments staged across multiple countries, including the 2020 UEFA European Championship, which was held in 11 nations, and the 2007 AFC Asian Cup hosted by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Among Southern African countries, only South Africa and Angola have previously hosted the AFCON tournament. South Africa staged the competition in 1996 and 2013, while Angola hosted the 2010 edition.