The interim secretary general of the Namibia Football Association, Mabos Vries, confirmed yesterday that Namibia is part of an ongoing regional campaign to co-host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
The announcement follows remarks by Tariq Babitseng, newly elected president of the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations, who revealed that the southern African region is exploring a joint bid to host the continent’s biggest football tournament in 2028.
Speaking on the development, Vries said discussions are still in their early stages but confirmed that Namibia has already expressed its intention to be part of the regional bid.
“There is a note of intention, and there is a process that needs to be followed. Namibia will not host the entire tournament and would therefore only need one stadium. The tournament is only in 2028, so for now, we need to sort out matters with the Namibian government, as government support will go a long way. It is the NFA’s intention to host, and the process of engaging government is ongoing,” said Vries.
The latest development marks a renewed attempt by Namibia to position itself as a host nation for major continental football events, following its withdrawal from a joint bid with Botswana to host the 2027 AFCON tournament.
In April 2023, the Namibian government officially withdrew from the 2027 bid, citing the enormous financial burden of upgrading stadiums and sports infrastructure to meet Confederation of African Football (CAF) standards.
The government indicated at the time that the country would have needed an estimated N$4.8 billion to undertake the required renovations and infrastructure development.
The then leadership of the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service explained that the country needed to reprioritise expenditure amid difficult economic conditions and looming drought challenges affecting various sectors of the economy.
Namibia also committed to covering 40% of the costs of the facilities audit work that had already been conducted as part of the abandoned bid process.
Following Namibia and Botswana’s withdrawal, hosting rights for the 2027 AFCON tournament were eventually awarded to the East African joint bid comprising Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Despite the earlier setback, the proposed 2028 regional bid is expected to reduce the financial pressure on individual countries, as hosting responsibilities, infrastructure requirements, and operational costs would be shared among the participating nations.