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Ethiopia has formally submitted its bid to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), seeking to stage the continent’s biggest football tournament for the first time in more than five decades.
The Ethiopian Football Federation confirmed the bid in a post on X late Monday, saying the country was ready to welcome Africa’s top national teams for the competition.
“Ethiopia has formally submitted its bid to CAF to host AFCON 2028,” the federation said, adding that the move reaffirmed “the nation’s full readiness to host Africa’s biggest footballing event.”
Ethiopia last hosted the continental tournament in 1976. A successful bid would mark AFCON’s return to the country after 52 years and give Ethiopia a chance to showcase its football infrastructure and tourism potential.
The country has Africa’s second-largest population, with about 130 million people, and its capital, Addis Ababa, is home to the African Union headquarters. At an altitude of about 2,300 metres above sea level, it is also Africa’s highest capital city.
However, Ethiopia’s bid faces significant challenges. The country continues to deal with insurgencies in Amhara and Oromia, its two most populous regions, while concerns remain about renewed conflict between the federal government and forces in northern Tigray.
On the footballing side, FIFA ranks Ethiopia 143rd among 211 countries. The national team last appeared at AFCON in 2022, when it failed to progress beyond the group stage.
Morocco hosted the most recent AFCON, while the 2027 edition will be staged jointly by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
From 2028, AFCON is expected to move to a four-year cycle, aligning its schedule with other major FIFA competitions.
Meanwhile, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have also expressed interest in jointly hosting the 2032 tournament, despite ongoing security challenges caused by insurgent violence in the three countries.
