The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially opened the bidding process for the hosting rights of the 2028, 2032 and 2036 editions of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), inviting its 54 Member Associations to compete for the opportunity to stage Africa’s biggest football tournament.
CAF announced the commencement of the bidding exercise on Friday, unveiling a new framework aimed at ensuring a transparent, credible and globally accepted host selection process.
The framework was developed with the support of independent consultants, alongside the body’s technical, financial and legal advisers, to guarantee fairness and adherence to international best practices.
According to CAF, the Africa Cup of Nations remains the continent’s flagship sporting event and one of the world’s largest football competitions, attracting more than 3.2 billion television viewers and generating over six billion digital views globally.
The continental football governing body said the new bidding process is intended to give interested nations ample time to prepare their infrastructure, secure government guarantees and meet the tournament’s hosting requirements.
Prospective hosts will be assessed based on stadium facilities, accommodation, transportation, security arrangements, financial capacity and overall organisational readiness.
CAF has yet to announce the timetable for bid submissions or the dates for evaluating prospective host nations.
The announcement comes as preparations continue for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 2027.
The opening of the race for the 2028, 2032 and 2036 tournaments is expected to generate keen interest among African countries, with hosting rights seen as an opportunity to boost tourism, strengthen sporting infrastructure, attract investment and showcase national development on the continental stage.
