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Ethiopia announces bid to host 2028 Africa Cup of Nations
Ethiopia has become the first country to publicly declare its intention to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations, with the Ethiopian Football Federation announcing its candidacy while the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has yet to confirm a host for the tournament or receive any official bids.
The announcement comes before the next edition of the competition, which will be staged in 2027 by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. However, the country or countries that will organise the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations have not yet been decided.
Ethiopia’s decision places the country back among the potential hosts of Africa’s leading international football tournament. It previously staged the competition in 1962 and 1976, giving it a significant connection with the history of the Africa Cup of Nations.
The country’s most notable achievement came in 1962, when Ethiopia won the title on home soil. The Ethiopian national team had also finished runners-up in the inaugural edition of the competition in 1957.
The proposed 2028 bid represents an attempt to revive Ethiopia’s presence on the continental stage after a prolonged decline in its participation at the highest level. Since the start of the 21st century, Ethiopia have appeared at the Africa Cup of Nations only twice, in the 2013 and 2021 editions.
No decision has yet been made on whether the 2028 tournament will be awarded to one country or jointly hosted by more than one nation. Ethiopia’s declaration is the first public move towards staging that edition, although CAF has not received any formal hosting offers at this stage.
For Ethiopia, a successful bid would restore the country to a role it has held twice before. Its previous tournaments remain central to its history in the competition: the 1962 event ended with the hosts lifting the trophy, while the 1976 edition marked the second time Ethiopia had hosted the finals.
The national team’s appearances in recent editions have been limited. After featuring in the 2013 tournament, Ethiopia did not return to the competition until the 2021 edition, which was its only other appearance in the current century.
The hosting process for 2028 therefore remains open, with Ethiopia currently the only country to have announced its candidacy. The next edition will take place in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in 2027, while CAF continues without a confirmed host for the tournament that follows.