South African football stadia (top) and Botswana national stadium
* It combines South Africa’s experience in staging major international competitions along with the growing football infrastructure of Botswana and Zimbabwe
* South Africa hosted the 1996 and 2013 editions and became the first African nation to stage the FIFA World Cup™ in 2010
* As Ethiopia officially bid to host the same AfCON 2028 Libya has bid to host either 2028 or 2032
Maravi Express
Combined with South Africa’s experience in staging major international competitions — along with the growing football infrastructure of Botswana and Zimbabwe — the bid by Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA) to host the Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) 2028 holds strong credentials.
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South Africa hosted the 1996 and 2013 editions and became the first African nation to stage the FIFA World Cup™ in 2010.
The bid was confirmed by Botswana Football Association (BFA) president, Tariq Babitseng, who is COSAFA chief and expressed confidence in the region’s ability to successfully organise the competition.
Competing for the same edition is Ethiopia along with Libya, which has bid to host either 2028 or 2032 while Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are preparing a joint bid to host AfCON 2032.
A report by COSAFA Media quoted Babitseng saying the three nations possess the infrastructure and organisational capacity needed to host the tournament while aligning with the vision of Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe, “who believes all regions should have the opportunity to host AfCON”.
“As COSAFA, we feel we stand a better chance to host,” Babitseng said as Botswana and Zimbabwe are looking to leverage the tournament to boost football development, tourism and sports infrastructure across their countries.
Botswana FA and COSAFA president, Tariq Babitseng
The Southern African region has not hosted the AfCON in recent years, with the tournament rotating among other parts of the continent and the 2027 edition being jointly hosted by East African nations, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda — the first AfCON to be staged by three countries.
The 2028 tournament marks a massive structural shift for African football as CAF has transitioned the AfCON from a biennial format to a four-year cycle — to now mirror the schedule of the UEFA European Championship.
Thus the 2028 edition was moved forward from 2029 to inaugurate the new four-year cycle — with the subsequent quadrennial tournament scheduled for 2032.
The invitation to tender (ITT) will close on August 24, 2026 and thereafter CAF will evaluate proposals based on key criteria, including stadium standards, training facilities, accommodation, transport infrastructure, security arrangements and overall readiness to stage the month-long tournament.
If selected, the South Africa-Botswana-Zimbabwe partnership would provide a significant boost for football development, investment and tourism across the three nations.
Stadia in Zimbabwe
CAF reported that the AfCON Morocco 2025 attracted a TV audience of over 3.2 billion and 6 billion digital views – making it the third biggest global national teams football event behind the FIFA World Cup™ and European Championships.
It delivered a 95% growth in commercial revenues – once again underscoring the popularity of the product, and the confidence of sponsors in CAF and African football.
The successful bidder will work closely with CAF to build a world-class structure for the sale and distribution of media rights, sponsorships, and marketing assets, ensuring long-term sustainability and growth for African football.
Through the sale of media and sponsorship rights for its football tournaments, CAF generates income which is essential to support and develop football across the continent.—Reporting by COSAFA Media & CAFonline; editing by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express
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