Botswana has pulled out of the joint bid with South Africa and Zimbabwe to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations, leaving the two southern African neighbours to continue the hosting process without their former partner.
According to Botswana newspaper Mmegi, the decision followed the government’s refusal to provide the financial guarantee required to support the country’s participation in the bid.
The government reportedly cited financial constraints and competing national priorities, effectively ending Botswana’s involvement in the three-nation hosting project.
Botswana also failed to submit the required bidding documents before CAF’s September 14, 2026 deadline, unlike South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The withdrawal came despite the Botswana Football Association’s earlier position that the financial guarantee was not mandatory at the initial stage of the bidding process.
The original proposal included matches in Gaborone and Francistown, with the latter’s existing stadium infrastructure expected to be utilised while renovation work continued at the National Stadium in Gaborone.
The proposed arrangement would also have provided Botswana with an opportunity to host matches at Africa’s premier football tournament while sharing the financial and logistical demands of staging the competition with South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Botswana’s decision is another setback to its ambitions of hosting the AFCON. The country had previously sought to host the 2027 edition but lost out after CAF awarded the tournament to the joint Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda bid.
South Africa and Zimbabwe will now proceed with their 2028 proposal as a two-country bid.
CAF will assess the submissions and determine the host or hosts of the 2028 tournament after evaluating the competing proposals against its technical, infrastructural, financial and organisational requirements.
For Botswana, the latest development closes another chapter in its efforts to bring the continent’s biggest football tournament to the country.