South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe have officially lodged a joint bid to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations, marking a concerted push by the southern African region to bring the continent's premier football tournament back to its corner of the continent.
The submission was confirmed by Tariq Babitseng, president of the Botswana Football Association and the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA), who voiced strong confidence in the region's readiness to stage the competition.
"We have put in a bid and we are confident with the infrastructure we have, as well as the vision of CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe, who believes all regions should have the opportunity to host AFCON," Babitseng said. "As COSAFA, we feel we stand a better chance to host."
A region with history and ambition
The three-nation coalition brings together neighbours with deep football roots and meaningful experience hosting major international events. South Africa previously staged the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996 and famously hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2010 — a landmark moment for the entire continent.
For Botswana and Zimbabwe, the bid represents a chance to place their growing football infrastructure and organisational capacity on the global stage. Southern Africa has not hosted the Africa Cup of Nations in recent years, with the tournament cycling through other regions of the continent.
CAF's regional vision
Babitseng underlined that the joint bid aligns closely with CAF President Patrice Motsepe's stated ambition to rotate the Africa Cup of Nations across all of Africa's footballing regions, ensuring that no part of the continent is left out of hosting the showpiece event.
CAF is expected to evaluate competing bids against criteria that include stadium quality, training facilities, accommodation, transport networks, and overall tournament readiness. The 2028 edition is set to attract several rival bids — Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Republic have already announced a joint candidacy for the 2032 edition, signalling growing appetite across Africa for co-hosted tournaments.
Should the South Africa-Botswana-Zimbabwe bid succeed, it would deliver a landmark return of the Africa Cup of Nations to southern Africa and offer a powerful platform to develop football infrastructure and boost tourism across all three countries.
