Botswana pulls out of South Africa, Zimbabwe 2028 AFCON bid

Botswana has withdrawn from the joint bid with South Africa and Zimbabwe to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations, leaving the two remaining countries to continue the process with the Confederation of African Football.

According to Botswana newspaper Mmegi, cited by Morocco World News, the decision followed the government’s refusal to provide the financial guarantee required for the country’s participation in the bid.

The report attributed the withdrawal to financial constraints and the Botswana government’s position that hosting the continental tournament is not currently among its priorities.

Botswana consequently failed to submit the required bidding documents before CAF’s September 14, 2026 deadline, while South Africa and Zimbabwe proceeded with their submissions.

The Botswana Football Association had reportedly maintained that the financial guarantee was not required at the initial stage of the bidding process. However, the government’s decision ultimately ended the three-country proposal.

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The original bid had envisaged matches being shared between Gaborone and Francistown, with the plan making use of Francistown’s existing stadium infrastructure while renovation work continued at the National Stadium in Gaborone.

That arrangement was also expected to help reduce travel costs during the tournament.

Botswana’s withdrawal is another setback to the country’s recent ambitions of hosting the continent’s premier football competition. The country had previously expressed interest in hosting the 2027 AFCON before CAF awarded the tournament to the joint East African bid from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

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South Africa and Zimbabwe will now continue their pursuit of the 2028 tournament without Botswana.

CAF will ultimately determine the host of the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations after assessing the remaining bids and their ability to meet the tournament’s hosting requirements.