Ethiopia has officially submitted its bid to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Ethiopian Football Federation announced on Monday evening.
The country, which last hosted the continental tournament in 1976, announced its intention to bid for the 2028 edition earlier this year but had not formally submitted its application until now.
The Horn of Africa nation is the continent’s second-most populous country, with approximately 130 million people. It ranks 143rd out of 211 teams in the FIFA rankings. Its most recent AFCON appearance was at the 2021 tournament in Cameroon, where it was eliminated in the group stage.
“Ethiopia has officially submitted its bid” to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) “to host AFCON 2028,” the Ethiopian Football Federation stated on X on Monday evening. It added that the bid has the backing of the federal government, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The federation said the bid “meets all the requirements” and demonstrates that the country is ready to host Africa’s biggest football tournament.
Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, is home to the headquarters of the African Union. Located more than 2,300 meters above sea level, it is Africa’s highest capital and one of the highest capital cities in the world.
The most recent AFCON was held in Morocco this winter. The 2027 edition will be jointly hosted by three East African countries: Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
The 2028 edition will mark a shift in the tournament’s schedule, as it will subsequently take place every four years instead of every two, aligning it with other FIFA competitions.
