CAF opens bidding for AFCON 2028, 2032 and 2036 hosts
The announcement comes as East Africa prepares to make history by jointly hosting the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027, which will be staged in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 2027.
The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) has officially invited its 54 Member Associations to submit bids to host the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournaments in 2028, 2032 and 2036, setting in motion the race to stage Africa’s premier football championship.
CAF announced that the bidding process is open to all eligible Member Associations representing African nations, with the selection process guided by a newly developed bidding framework designed to ensure transparency, credibility and fairness.
The Africa Cup of Nations remains the continent’s biggest sporting event and ranks among the world’s most-watched sporting competitions, attracting more than 3.2 billion television viewers and generating over 6 billion digital views globally.
The announcement comes as East Africa prepares to make history by jointly hosting the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027, which will be staged in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 2027.
The tournament will mark the first time the three East African neighbours co-host Africa’s flagship football competition, with preparations already underway to upgrade stadiums, transport infrastructure and accommodation facilities across the host nations.
CAF said the bidding process for the 2028, 2032 and 2036 editions will follow a comprehensive framework developed with the support of independent advisory firm PwC, alongside technical, financial and external legal advisers.
According to CAF, the framework establishes a transparent, credible and ethical process for evaluating and selecting host country or joint-hosting bids, in line with international best practices.
The continental football governing body noted that the new framework is intended to strengthen confidence in the host selection process while ensuring that successful bidders meet the sporting, financial, infrastructure and governance requirements necessary to deliver world-class tournaments.
CAF also reaffirmed its commitment to expanding competitive football across the continent, noting that it will organise a senior men’s national team competition every year except during FIFA World Cup years.
The opening of the bidding process presents another opportunity for African nations to showcase their sporting infrastructure, tourism potential and organisational capacity while boosting investment and economic activity associated with hosting one of the continent’s most prestigious sporting events.
With Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania set to host AFCON 2027, football stakeholders across the region view the tournament as a springboard for future bids and a chance to cement East Africa’s place on the continental football map.
