By Zim Sport Live Writer
Zimbabwe has joined South Africa, Botswana and Namibia in a joint bid to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations, in what would be the first time four countries have staged the continent’s flagship football tournament.
Botswana Football Association president Tariq Babitseng confirmed that the joint Southern African bid had been submitted before the deadline and said the four nations were confident of securing the hosting rights.
“We submitted on time to host the tournament in Southern Africa,” Babitseng told reporters after being elected president of the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) in Harare.
“We have the transport routes and the infrastructure to host a successful tournament.”
Although the Confederation of African Football (CAF) does not operate a formal hosting rotation policy, the past three editions have been staged in Central, West and North Africa, while Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will co-host the 2027 finals in East Africa.
That has strengthened the case for a return to Southern Africa, where South Africa (1996 and 2013) and Angola (2010) remain the only countries from the region to have hosted the tournament.
If successful, the bid would mark the first time four African nations have jointly staged an AFCON. Multi-country hosting has become increasingly common elsewhere, with the 2027 AFCON already set to be shared by three East African nations. UEFA Euro 2020 was played across 11 countries, while England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland will co-host Euro 2028.
The four nations are also set to jointly stage the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, with South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia acting as hosts and Botswana serving as a co-host for selected events and logistics.
For Zimbabwe, the bid represents another opportunity to bring the continent’s biggest football tournament to the country after several unsuccessful attempts.
Zimbabwe was originally awarded the 2000 AFCON but lost the hosting rights after CAF ruled that preparations had fallen behind schedule, with the tournament eventually staged in Ghana and Nigeria.
The country also submitted unsuccessful bids to host the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
A successful bid would see Zimbabwe host AFCON matches for the first time and mark another major sporting event for the country following its role in the 2027 Cricket World Cup.