South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe have jointly submitted a bid to co-host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations finals. This is the first time four countries have sought to stage the tournament together, although multi-nation hosting is established in other continents [1, 2].
Botswana Football Association president Tariq Babitseng confirmed the bid was submitted on time. He said, "We submitted on time to host the tournament in southern Africa," and added, "We have the transport routes and the infrastructure to host a successful tournament" [1, 2].
The upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in East Africa. The three previous editions took place in central, west, and north Africa, making the prospective 2028 event the first in southern Africa since 2013 [1, 2].
South Africa hosted the tournament twice before, in 1996 and 2013, while Angola hosted in 2010. The countries involved in the bid also have experience hosting major tournaments in other sports: South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe are set to co-host the 2027 Cricket World Cup [1, 2].
The formal bid was publicly confirmed in May 2023. If successful, the event would mark a first for African football, with four nations sharing hosting duties instead of the usual one or two [1, 2].