South Africa to Bid for 2028 AFCON as Minister Gayton McKenzie Warns Southern Africa Could Miss Out for 20 Years
GLORY Days: Former South African president Nelson Mandela, right, celebrates with Bafana Bafana captain Neil Tovey following their Africa Nations Cup triumph in 1996, which still remains the only occasion that Bafana Bafana won the coveted trophy.
Image: Mykel Nicolaou / AFP
With the highly anticipated Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final between Senegal and hosts Morocco still to be played on Sunday, South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has officially announced that the country will bid to host the 2028 edition of the tournament.
The last time South Africa staged Africa’s premier football competition was in 2013, after Libya relinquished hosting rights due to civil war. The only other occasion was in 1996, when coach Clive Barker led Bafana Bafana to a historic victory on home soil, with then-president Nelson Mandela famously handing the trophy to captain Neil Tovey while wearing a replica of the skipper’s number six jersey.
East African nations Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are set to co-host the 2027 AFCON.
Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie makes known South Africa's intention to host the 2028 Afcon tournament.
Image: Michael Sherman/IOL
McKenzie revealed South Africa’s 2028 ambitions during an SABC television interview, where he confirmed that Namibia and Botswana would form part of a collaborative regional bid to host the Confederation of African Football’s flagship tournament.
He said the government was “very intentional about bringing the shine back to South Africa,” noting that the last time the tournament was hosted in Southern Africa was in 2013.
The minister warned that failing to secure hosting rights for 2028 could see Southern Africa go without AFCON for two decades.
“If we miss this one, it will be two decades of no football, no Africa Cup of Nations in Southern Africa. How can that be? It cannot be,” McKenzie said.
The Ministry plans to submit an official expression of interest to CAF ahead of the February 1 deadline.
“The time has come, and I can tell you unapologetically that South Africa will be submitting a bid for the 2028 AFCON,” McKenzie said.
Beyond the sporting prestige, the bid is being positioned as a driver of economic growth.
“Some would say the time has come to stop playing small. We are not a small country. We are a great country,” the minister added.
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