A CAF technical mission has begun an official visit to Addis Ababa to assess Ethiopia’s bid for AFCON 2028. The Minister of Youth and Sports, Aklilu Tadesse, confirmed the inspection.
Ethiopia’s bid to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations is under evaluation. A technical delegation from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has begun an official visit to Addis Ababa to examine the country’s infrastructure, according to Le360 Sport. Ethiopia’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Aklilu Tadesse, confirmed the inspection mission.
CAF experts are scrutinising sports facilities, stadium standards, as well as hotels and transport. A comprehensive audit that should allow the continental body to judge Ethiopia’s capacity to host the competition. The bid rests on a flagship project, the Adey Abeba national stadium, with a capacity of 62,000 seats, due to be delivered before 2028.
A project structured around Addis Ababa
In addition to the future national stadium, Ethiopia can already count on the Bahir Dar stadium, with 52,000 seats and currently approved by CAF bodies. The Ethiopian plan is not limited to the capital: it also provides for the development of hospitality infrastructure in the secondary cities of Hawassa, Dire Dawa and Jimma.
The Ethiopian federation (EFF) formalised its bid after CAF’s summer deadlines, as part of the bidding procedure launched by the continental body.
Support from the federal government
The bid has the full support of the federal government, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Weighty political backing to carry the file.
Ethiopia is no novice when it comes to hosting. A founding nation of CAF, it has already hosted AFCON in 1962, an edition it won, as well as in 1976. A legacy that could speak in its favour, even if the award remains open.
An uncertain continental context
CAF must choose the host of the 2028 edition after the recent withdrawal of Botswana, which was bidding alongside South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The final compliance report, drawn up by CAF’s technical inspection commission, must precede the decision and vote of the Executive Committee for the award of AFCON 2028.