Ethiopia has formally submitted a bid to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), as the East African nation seeks to bring the continent’s biggest football tournament back for the first time in more than five decades.
The Ethiopian Football Federation confirmed the development in a post on X late Monday, stating that the country had officially presented its proposal to the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Ethiopia last hosted the tournament in 1976 and said its latest bid reflects the country’s determination and readiness to stage Africa’s premier football competition.
“Ethiopia has formally submitted its bid to CAF to host AFCON 2028,” the federation said.
The country’s bid, however, comes amid security and political challenges, including ongoing insurgencies in the Amhara and Oromia regions and tensions between the federal government and the Tigray region.
Ethiopia, Africa’s second-most populous nation with an estimated population of about 130 million, is also home to the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa.
On the sporting front, Ethiopia is currently ranked 143rd in the FIFA rankings. The national team last featured at the AFCON in 2022, where it was eliminated at the group stage.
Morocco most recently hosted the competition, while the 2027 edition is scheduled to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
AFCON is also expected to move to a four-year cycle from 2028 under plans aimed at aligning the tournament more closely with other major FIFA competitions.
Meanwhile, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have reportedly expressed interest in submitting a joint bid to host the 2032 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.
