Minister Gayton McKenzie Drops AFCON Bombshell

Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie has confirmed that South Africa is preparing a formal bid to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and intends to invite neighbouring Namibia and Botswana to join the proposal.

Speaking to SABC Sport in Rabat, Morocco, McKenzie said the move forms part of government’s broader strategy to use major international events to stimulate economic growth.

South Africa – which previously hosted AFCON in 1996 and 2013 – and Angola in 2010 remain the only Southern African nations to have staged the tournament.

“The time has come, and I can tell you unapologetically that South Africa will be submitting a bid for the 2028 AFCON,” McKenzie declared. “We will invite countries like Namibia and Botswana, and because we are neighbourly, we want to say to them: form part of our bid.”

Reports have suggested that Morocco may also seek hosting rights for 2028, the last AFCON before the competition moves to a new four‑year cycle ending in 2032.

With CAF’s deadline for expressions of interest closing on the first of next month, McKenzie says South Africa is pressing ahead.

“North and Central Africa have been hosting this tournament. It’s now time for Southern Africa — it’s our turn! If we let this opportunity pass, it will be two decades of no AFCON hosting. We have the infrastructure, the human capital and everything else that’s needed.”

Since South Africa last hosted in 2013, AFCON has rotated through Central Africa (Equatorial Guinea 2015, Gabon 2017, Cameroon 2019), West Africa (Ivory Coast 2023), and North Africa (Egypt 2019, Morocco 2025). The 2027 edition is scheduled for East Africa, jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.

McKenzie believes that partnering with Botswana and Namibia — nations that would benefit from upgraded infrastructure — offers a valuable regional opportunity. SABC Sport understands the minister has already moved to set up urgent engagements with his counterparts in both countries.

The football federations of South Africa, Botswana and possibly Namibia will submit the bid, backed by their respective governments. McKenzie argues the economic case is compelling.

“Some would say the time has come to stop playing small. We are not a small country — we are a great country. And we are not arrogant; we are willing to work together and be neighbourly. They are going to have to make a very strong case if the AFCON is not going to come to Southern Africa in 2028.”

He added that improving economic indicators strengthen South Africa’s position as a capable host.

“The country is changing and moving in the right direction. For the first time in a very long time, jobs are on the rise, inflation is at its lowest levels, and the rand is getting stronger.”

South Africa’s GDP expanded by 0.5 percent in the third quarter of 2025, the fourth consecutive quarter of growth and something McKenzie says government wants to build on.