The Confederation of African Football (CAF) revealed it received three formal bids ahead of Thursday’s deadline, which has accelerated the competition to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Morocco, Ethiopia, and South Africa and Botswana have all expressed interest in hosting the historic edition of the continent’s premier competition.
A new era in African football will begin at AFCON 2028. During the most recent finals in Morocco, CAF President Patrice Motsepe declared that the competition will switch from its current two-year cycle to a four-year model.
He clarified that the modification is intended to reduce the strain on athletes and national organizations as the international schedule gets more crowded.
Motsepe claims that the change is a component of a larger reworking of CAF’s contests. Additionally, it will introduce an African Nations League based on the European model, which is scheduled to start in 2029.
After hosting the tournament in 2025–2026, Morocco hopes to capitalize on the positive reviews it earned for its facilities and organization.
The North Africans, who hosted the competition from December 2025 to January 2026, received a lot of praise for improving stadium, transportation, and fan experience infrastructure.
Ethiopia’s bid is significant historically. The East African team has hosted AFCON three times and was one of the four countries who participated in the tournament’s first edition in 1957. They hosted the finals once more in 1968 and 1976 after winning their lone continental championship domestically in 1962.
In a combined application with Botswana, South Africa, the 1996 and 2013 hosts, is requesting to host again. If the bid is successful, Botswana will host the event for the first time, but Bafana Bafana has previous experience.
Under the current biennial arrangement, there is still one final edition before all focus shifts to 2028. Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda will co-host the 2027 tournament, which will be a landmark event for East African football.
