Ethiopia has officially entered the race to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations, with the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) submitting a government-backed bid that declares the country's "full readiness" to stage the continent's most prestigious football tournament.

The announcement has attracted significant scrutiny, however, given the considerable gap between Ethiopia's current footballing infrastructure and the requirements of a modern, 24-team Afcon.

A proud history, but a long road ahead

Ethiopia has a genuine place in Afcon history. The country hosted the tournament three times — in 1962, 1968, and 1976 — and lifted the trophy on home soil at the inaugural edition in 1962. The Walia Ibex were also among the three nations to compete at the very first Afcon in 1957.

Yet their recent record tells a different story. Ranked 143rd in the world and 43rd in Africa, Ethiopia have qualified for the tournament just three times since they last hosted. Their most recent appearance came at the 2021 edition, where they finished bottom of a group containing Cameroon, Burkina Faso, and Cape Verde without recording a single win.

Ethiopia beat Sao Tome and Principe in the preliminary qualifying round for the 2027 tournament and have been placed in Group J alongside Senegal, Mozambique, and Sudan.

Infrastructure: the central challenge

The bid faces immediate questions about venues. The 52,000-seat Bahir Dar Stadium in northern Ethiopia is currently the only facility in the country holding Confederation of African Football (Caf) approval. Three further proposed stadiums remain at early stages of development and would require substantial investment to meet Caf standards before 2028.

A new international stadium and sports complex — the Adey Abeba International Stadium, with a capacity of 62,000 — is under construction in Addis Ababa and expected to be completed next year. That venue could serve as a flagship host ground, but multiple compliant stadiums spread across different regions would be needed to stage a 24-team tournament.

Ethiopia's situation during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers underlines the scale of the problem. The Walia Ibex were forced to play their home qualifying matches at neutral venues in Morocco and Rwanda, though they did host fixtures in Dire Dawa earlier this year.

Beyond stadiums, analysts point out that a successful bid would require reliable training facilities, accommodation, transport networks, and match-day infrastructure — areas where significant work remains to be done.

Security concerns loom large

Security is among the most prominent concerns surrounding Ethiopia's candidacy. While Addis Ababa is regarded as relatively stable, several regions of the country continue to experience armed conflict and political unrest. Addressing those challenges would be as important as any construction project if the bid is to be taken seriously by Caf.

The wider bidding landscape

Ethiopia is not alone in pursuing the 2028 finals. Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe have announced a joint Southern African bid. Morocco — hosts of the 2025 edition — were widely reported as potential candidates, but BBC Sport Africa understands the kingdom is not in contention, choosing instead to focus on co-hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Caf president Patrice Motsepe confirmed last month that his organisation had received "exciting bids" for the 2028, 2032, and 2036 editions. Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have also expressed interest in co-hosting the 2032 tournament.

The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled to be held in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda from 19 June to 17 July — the first time the competition returns to East Africa since Ethiopia hosted it in 1976.