Ethiopia has formally submitted a bid to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). This move marks a significant attempt to bring the tournament back to the nation more than half a century after it last served as host in 1976.
Bid Details and National Context
The Ethiopian Football Federation confirmed the submission in a post on X, stating, “Ethiopia has formally submitted its bid to CAF to host AFCON 2028, reaffirming the nation’s full readiness to host Africa’s biggest footballing event.” As Africa’s second-most populous country with approximately 130 million residents, Ethiopia views the bid as a major opportunity. Its capital, Addis Ababa, serves as the headquarters for the African Union and holds the distinction of being the highest-altitude capital on the continent at roughly 2,300 metres above sea level. The report also notes that ethiopia previously hosted AFCON in 1976.
Challenges and Sporting Outlook
- The bid faces notable security concerns, including ongoing insurgencies within the Amhara and Oromia regions and lingering tensions regarding the federal government’s conflict with the northern Tigray region.
- Ethiopia’s national team currently holds a FIFA ranking of 143rd out of 211 nations. The team last appeared in the AFCON tournament in 2022, where they were eliminated during the group stage.
- The tournament landscape is shifting, as the 2028 edition will mark the transition of AFCON from its traditional biennial format to a quadrennial schedule, aligning it with other major global football competitions.
- Recent and upcoming hosts include Morocco, which held the most recent tournament, and the trio of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, which are set to co-host the next edition.
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