Southern Africa trio launch joint campaign to host 2028 Africa Cup of Nations

South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe have formally submitted a joint bid to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations, in a move aimed at bringing the continent’s flagship tournament back to Southern Africa for the first time in 15 years.

The proposal has been confirmed by Cosafa president and Botswana Football Association head Tariq Babitseng, who said the three neighbouring countries have agreed to combine resources in an effort to secure the finals from the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

AFCON has not been staged in the region since South Africa hosted the 2013 edition. Recent tournaments have been awarded to other parts of the continent, including Morocco and Ivory Coast, and Babitseng says that pattern helped galvanise Southern Africa into action.

“Three countries being South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe have put in a bid and the three countries will meet this weekend in a preliminary meeting just to see if there are any issues that need ironing out,” Babitseng said.

“I can confidently say that these three countries have put in a joint bid and this was derived because in the past, the tournament was in Morocco, Ivory Coast etc and now it’s time for Southern Africa to host and that motivated us even more.”

Joint bid built on shared infrastructure

The combined candidacy is designed to marry South Africa’s proven major-event infrastructure with facilities in Botswana and Zimbabwe that are currently being upgraded.

South Africa, which staged the Fifa World Cup in 2010 as well as AFCON in 1996 and 2013, can draw on a network of large-capacity, modern stadiums and established transport and accommodation systems.

Botswana and Zimbabwe, meanwhile, are seeking to use the bid as a catalyst to accelerate improvements to their own venues and supporting infrastructure, with work already under way.

“Zimbabwe is busy with refurbishment and they’ll have their stadiums ready by next year, Botswana also has stadiums in Gaborone and Francistown and I don’t even need to speak about South Africa, they’ve hosted the World Cup,” Babitseng added.

Next steps in the 2028 AFCON race

The three associations will now move into what Babitseng described as a crucial phase, holding detailed talks this weekend to finalise the structure of the bid and address any outstanding issues before completing their formal submission to CAF.

That process includes assessing logistical requirements such as stadium allocation, training facilities, cross-border travel, accommodation capacity and security planning across the three host nations.

Officials are aiming to ensure that all technical, financial and organisational aspects of the joint proposal meet CAF’s hosting criteria before it is evaluated alongside rival bids from other regions of Africa.

Milestone opportunity for Cosafa region

For Cosafa, the council representing football in Southern Africa, the chance to stage AFCON 2028 is being viewed as a potential milestone in the development of the game in the region.

Securing hosting rights would bring the continent’s most prestigious international football competition back south and, in Babitseng’s view, offer a platform to accelerate growth in a part of Africa that has often watched major tournaments go elsewhere.

With South Africa’s tournament experience, Zimbabwe’s long-standing football culture and Botswana’s growing ambitions at international level, the three nations are banking on a united front to persuade CAF that Southern Africa is ready once again to stage Africa’s premier football event.