Ethiopia has officially announced its bid to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations. The Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) confirmed it had submitted its bid file to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), with the support of the government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
The federation stated that it had presented the official bid file meeting the requirements set by CAF, while reaffirming the country's desire to host the continent's biggest football competition.
A return of AFCON to Ethiopia?
This bid is part of a long history between Ethiopia and the Africa Cup of Nations. The country has already hosted the competition three times, in 1962, 1968 and 1976.
The 1962 edition remains particularly symbolic: Ethiopia won its first and only continental title in front of its home crowd. More than fifty years after its last hosting in 1976, the country now hopes to welcome AFCON once again.
The bid also comes at a time of significant development of sports infrastructure across the country.
A major infrastructure programme
The Ethiopian project relies notably on the construction and renovation of several sports venues.
In Addis Ababa, the future Adey Abeba International Stadium is one of the main projects. The venue is set to hold more than 60,000 spectators and become the country's new national stadium. Its pitch has already received FIFA certification, while work continues on the structure, particularly the roof and stands.
The project is also presented as a central element of the country's sports infrastructure modernisation programme. The government has launched a vast construction and renovation programme covering several cities, including:
- Addis Ababa
- Bahir Dar
- Dire Dawa
- Hawassa
- Jimma
- Mekele
Several stadiums involved
In Bahir Dar, the city's stadium is currently undergoing major modernisation work. In August 2026, CAF granted it a temporary category 3 authorisation, allowing the Ethiopian national team to play its upcoming AFCON 2027 qualifying matches there. However, CAF indicated that further work still needed to be carried out.
In Dire Dawa, the international stadium also received a temporary authorisation from CAF in March 2026 to host an international match. This decision allowed Ethiopia to play in front of its home crowd again after several years during which the national team had to play its home matches abroad.
The Hawassa stadium, which has a capacity of around 42,000 seats, is also among the facilities identified in the development programme. Projects are also planned in Jimma and Mekele in order to expand the network of venues capable of hosting international competitions.
In total, the Ethiopian government has launched a programme covering several sports facilities across the country, with the aim in particular of having venues that meet international standards.
Ethiopia wants to reclaim a place among host countries
This bid comes as CAF has opened the process for the 2028, 2032 and 2036 editions of AFCON. The 2027 edition will be jointly organised by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
For Ethiopia, the ambition is therefore to bring AFCON back to the country and to build on an investment programme already under way in sports infrastructure.
The Ethiopian Football Federation has now officially presented its bid file to CAF. Ethiopia is officially a candidate to host AFCON 2028.
Comments
By posting, you agree to our privacy policy.