South Africa set to submit bid to host the 2028 AFCON?

South Africa might be host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) alongside Botswana.

Mzansi hosted the biennial competition for the first time in 1996 and defied the odds to go all the way and win it. The next time they hosted was in 2013, but this time around, they fell in the quarter-final.

The country is now planning to bid for the 2028 edition which will be the beginning of a four-year cycle as opposed to the current one where it is held after every two years.

Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania are set to co-host the 2027 edition, hoping to deliver an even better tournament following the 2024 CHAN tournament they jointly held a couple of months ago.

What reports are saying

“South Africa is showing a strong interest to do a joint bid with Botswana for the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament,” SABC reported.

“There’s been reports that Morocco could be in line again to host the AFCON in 2028, which would be the last one before the new four year cycle kicks in, until 2032.

“Minister of Sports from some African countries are in Rabat ahead of Sunday’s AFCON final between hosts Morocco and Senegal, including Department of Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie,” they concluded.

Mckenzie confirms Mzansi will bid for AFCON

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

“North and Central Africa have been hosting this tournament, it’s now time for Southern Africa-it’s our turn!

“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 as we are willing to work together and be neighbourly,” he added.

“They are going to have to make a very strong case if the AFCON is not going to come to Southern Africa in 2028.

“The country is changing and the country is moving in the right direction. For the first time in a very long time, jobs are on the rise, we have the lowest record of inflation levels, and the rand is getting so much stronger,” McKenzie concluded.

Why did Bafana Bafana struggled in 2025 edition

Meanwhile, MC Alger coach Rhulani Mokwena has opined why Bafana Bafana fell in the Round of 16 in Morocco. He argues coach Hugo Broos didn’t pick the best players for the job.

“It has more to do with the preparation and selection because the games are a little bit more a reflection of holistically a lot of other things around,” Mokwena told Sports Night Amplified.

“I believe in the national team, our best players must be available for such competitions and I don’t think we had all our best players in the best form at AFCON.

“And then I don’t think the performance of the team was a true reflection of what we are capable of doing and how we are capable of representing ourselves at AFCON.”

“When we went to the previous AFCON, we went there without expectation and without a lot of pressure but when people expect you to do well, then you need to have all your weapons and I don’t think in this competition we were prepared for it,” the 39-year-old concluded