Botswana has formally declared its intention to co-host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in partnership with South Africa, marking a significant moment in regional cooperation within the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The announcement emerged during a meeting of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee held in Rabat, Morocco, where a number of key issues concerning the future of continental football were deliberated.
This joint bid presents a strategic alignment between a nation with emerging sports infrastructure and a regional counterpart with extensive experience in hosting global tournaments. South Africa, which previously hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2013 AFCON, brings an established network of stadiums and logistical experience to the table. Botswana’s growing investments in sports infrastructure, particularly in the wake of its Vision 2036 national development strategy, reflects a concerted effort to enhance its soft power and international sporting presence.
The proposed collaboration aims to consolidate resources, share technical capacity, and deliver a tournament that reflects both nations’ commitment to inclusivity, regional integration, and sustainable development. The bid also aligns with broader aspirations to reframe the narrative around African mega sporting events by centring African agency, logistical sovereignty, and intra-continental partnership.
CAF is expected to evaluate all hosting proposals based on a variety of criteria including infrastructure readiness, proposed host cities, transport networks, accommodation standards, and long term developmental impact. Final decisions regarding the 2028 host are anticipated later in 2026. Should the joint bid be successful, it will represent the second time South Africa hosts the tournament, and the first time Botswana participates as a co-host.
This submission places Botswana and South Africa alongside other African nations competing for the prestigious event, as CAF seeks to expand the tournament’s reach and deepen its cultural and economic impact across the continent. CAF’s evolving strategy reflects a commitment to redistributing major football tournaments beyond traditional power centres, and towards a more equitable representation of the continent’s diverse footballing ecosystems.
While the announcement is likely to stimulate public interest across Southern Africa, both governments are expected to provide further technical and logistical documentation in the coming months. According to CAF’s most recent strategic updates, bids are not only judged by stadium quality and capacity, but also by socio economic legacies, security preparedness, and environmental sustainability.
Observers note that regional collaborations such as this one underscore a shifting paradigm in African sports diplomacy. Where previously hosting rights were largely dominated by singular national efforts, there is now a growing appetite for cooperative frameworks that reduce financial pressure on individual states while promoting continental unity. The Botswana South Africa partnership, therefore, may well serve as a blueprint for future bids that seek to balance infrastructural strength with intergovernmental coordination.
As the continent continues to reimagine how global and regional events are staged and represented, such joint ventures offer an opportunity to tell new stories, grounded in African realities, aspirations, and innovations. The bid illustrates that African football is not merely a spectacle but also a space where questions of development, cultural memory, and political agency intersect in complex and meaningful ways.
CAF is expected to release an official shortlist of candidate bids in due course. Until then, the Botswana South Africa bid stands as a symbol of solidarity and ambition that resonates with a broader Pan African vision for the future of sport on the continent.
