The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially opened the bidding process for the 2028, 2031 and 2033 Africa Cup of Nations following its decision to retain the continental showpiece as a biennial competition.
CAF recently reversed its earlier decision to stage the tournament every four years, opting instead to continue with the traditional two-year cycle after widespread opposition to the proposed change.
The continental governing body has written to its 54 member associations, inviting interested nations to submit bids to host one of the next three AFCON finals.
Member associations have until next Tuesday to submit a declaration of interest, while the deadline for the full bid documentation, including the required government guarantees, has been set for December 8.
The next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 2027, marking the first time the three East African nations will stage the tournament together.
Before the policy reversal, CAF had already received expressions of interest to host the 2028 AFCON from Ethiopia, Morocco, and a joint bid involving Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The new bidding process is expected to intensify competition among African nations eager to host the continent's biggest football tournament, with CAF expected to assess each proposal based on infrastructure, government support, organisational capacity and compliance with its hosting requirements.
Successful host nations will be tasked with delivering one of Africa's flagship sporting events, which continues to attract millions of viewers and showcase the continent's footballing talent on the global stage.
