- Botswana to co-host alongside SA, Zimbabwe, Namibia
- A press conference to be held in Botswana soon
- Sports Ministers from all four countries will attend
- BFA president, Babitseng will be a lead organizer
The Botswana Football Association (BFA) has firmly thrown its hat into the ring for AFCON 2028, but this won’t be a solo effort. The association is putting forward a joint bid to co-host the tournament with South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, this publication has learned.
This bold bid aims to bring Africa’s flagship football event back to Southern Africa. It’s the product of months of behind-the-scenes negotiations among football officials and political leaders across the four nations. If it succeeds, the consortium will stage the first AFCON finals under the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) new four-year cycle an achievement that would add historic weight to the proposal.
Sources close to the process reveal that talks between South Africa’s Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, and BFA president Tariq Babitseng have been ongoing for some time. Locally, Babitseng has held several meetings with Botswana’s Minister of Sports and Arts, Jacob Kelebeng, as well as the newly appointed Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) CEO, Olebile Sikwane.
Insiders say these discussions have focused on aligning Botswana’s readiness with South Africa’s more advanced infrastructure, while weaving Namibia and Zimbabwe in as strategic partners in the joint effort.
WeekendSport has also learned that Botswana will soon host a major press conference, where the four countries will officially announce their intention to co-host AFCON 2028. The event is expected to draw sports ministers and senior football officials from all participating nations, signaling strong political and administrative backing for the bid.
While South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe are reportedly ready to move forward, Botswana is still waiting for formal Cabinet approval. A senior source at Lekidi Football Centre shared that Minister Kelebeng had planned to present the proposal at a recent Cabinet meeting but was unable to do so, causing a slight delay.
Under the proposed hosting plan, South Africa would stage both the opening match and the final, capitalizing on its world-class stadiums and experience hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2013 AFCON. Botswana is slated to host one or two group-stage matches and at least one semi-final, while Namibia and Zimbabwe would share the remaining group games and select knockout fixtures.
Importantly, the bid positions BFA president Babitseng as the tournament’s lead organizer. All pre-tournament press conferences and coordination meetings are expected to be held in Botswana, a move seen as both symbolic and strategic, designed to elevate the country’s profile in continental football administration.
If approved, this bid would mark AFCON’s return to the Southern African or COSAFA region nearly 15 years after South Africa last hosted the tournament in 2013.
As part of the hosting requirements, the four sports ministers are expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to bind their governments formally to the joint bid and outline responsibilities concerning infrastructure, security, logistics, and funding.
Gov’t confirms interest in AFCON 2028
In an interview with this publication this week, Minister of Sports and Arts Jacob Kelebeng confirmed that Botswana is keen to partner with South Africa in a joint bid to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Kelebeng said while discussions around the joint bid are progressing, local stakeholders are still fine-tuning internal processes to ensure the country is adequately prepared to host a tournament of such magnitude.
According to the minister, the Botswana Football Association (BFA), Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) and government are currently working together to craft a clear proposal that outlines what Botswana intends to achieve from co-hosting Africa’s premier football competition. “We are still working on the internal proposal as BFA, BNSC and government on exactly what we want as a country from hosting the tournament. We will, soon, inform the nation,” he said.
CAF receives three official bids
Meanwhile the race to host the AFCON is gaining traction, this comes after CAF confirmed that they have received three official bids from Morocco, Ethiopia and Botswana, South Africa joint bid. According to information reaching this publication, CAF Executive Committee convened this past Thursday to decide on the potential host of the prestigious continental showpiece.
Gov’t to Build 40,000-Capacity Stadium
The AFCON bid comes amid Botswana’s most ambitious sports infrastructure project to date: the planned construction of a new 40,000-seat national stadium in Sebele, Gaborone, near the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN).
Valued at approximately P3.2 billion, the stadium is a key pillar of National Development Plan 12 (NDP 12), which runs from April 2025 to March 2030. When presenting the Public Investment Programme (PIP) in Parliament last November, Minister Kelebeng emphasized the central role modern infrastructure will play in unlocking growth within the sports sector. “During NDP 12, focus will be on refurbishing existing sporting infrastructure and developing community-based facilities for optimal use and for grassroots development to thrive,” Kelebeng told lawmakers.