Ethiopia bids to keep AFCON in East Africa beyond Pamoja 2027
Ethiopia has formally submitted its bid to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations, raising the possibility of Africa’s biggest football tournament remaining in East Africa for successive editions.
The Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) confirmed on Monday that it had presented its official bid handbook to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), backed by the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia government.
“Ethiopia has formally submitted its bid to CAF to host AFCON 2028,” the federation announced.
“Backed by the FDRE government, the EFF presented the official Bid Handbook addressing all requirements and reaffirming the nation’s full readiness to host Africa’s biggest footballing event.”
The bid is particularly significant for East Africa, which will stage AFCON for the first time in more than half a century when Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania jointly host the 2027 tournament from June 19 to July 17.
Should Ethiopia win the 2028 rights, the continent’s premier football championship would remain in the region for another edition, extending what could become an important period for football infrastructure and commercial development in East Africa.
Ethiopia is no stranger to hosting the competition. One of the founding members of CAF, the country hosted AFCON in 1962, when the Walias defeated Egypt 4-2 after extra time in the final in Addis Ababa to win their only continental title.
Ethiopia subsequently staged the tournament in 1968 and 1976, making it a three-time host. The 1976 tournament was the last AFCON staged in East Africa before CAF awarded the 2027 edition to Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
A successful 2028 bid would therefore bring the tournament back to Ethiopia for the first time in 52 years.
However, Ethiopia faces competition for the hosting rights. Earlier reports indicated interest from southern Africa, including a joint bid involving South Africa and Botswana, while the composition of the bidding field has evolved during the process.
CAF formally invited its 54 member associations in July to bid for the 2028, 2032 and 2036 tournaments, with the process being conducted under a bidding framework developed with independent expert adviser PwC alongside CAF’s technical, financial and legal advisers.
The process follows CAF’s decision to restructure its flagship national-team competition. After Pamoja 2027, AFCON will move away from its traditional biennial calendar, with editions scheduled for 2028, 2032 and 2036.
For Ethiopia, however, securing the tournament will ultimately depend on whether its stadiums, training facilities, transport links, accommodation and other supporting infrastructure satisfy CAF’s requirements.
Its formal submission moves that ambition from political declaration to the evaluation stage, with CAF expected to assess the technical and financial strength of the competing bids before determining the 2028 host.
For East Africa, the decision could carry wider significance, with Pamoja 2027 already driving major stadium and infrastructure investment across Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
This article originally appeared on Kawowo.