The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has reopened the bidding process for the hosting rights of the 2028, 2031 and 2033 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), giving all 54 member associations another opportunity to compete for the right to stage the continental tournament.

The decision follows CAF’s move to restore the AFCON to a two-year cycle, prompting adjustments to its previously proposed tournament schedule.

Under the revised arrangement, the 2028 edition remains unchanged, while the tournament initially scheduled for 2032 has been replaced with AFCON 2031. The planned 2036 edition has also been replaced with AFCON 2033.

The reopening allows countries that did not participate in the previous bidding exercise to submit fresh hosting proposals.

CAF announces bidding deadlines

In its communication to member associations, CAF fixed November 17, 2026, at 6:00 pm Cairo time as the deadline for submitting Declarations of Interest.

Member associations seeking clarification on the bidding process have until November 24 to submit their requests, while the final deadline for submitting complete hosting bids is December 8, 2026, at 6:00 pm Cairo time.

CAF clarified that associations which had already submitted a Declaration of Interest during the previous process are not required to submit another one.

Countries can submit joint bids

The African football governing body also confirmed that interested countries can submit individual or joint bids for any of the three tournaments.

It added that member associations are permitted to express interest in hosting more than one edition of the competition.

CAF assured prospective bidders that the process would be conducted fairly and transparently, stressing that countries which participated in the previous exercise would not enjoy any advantage over new applicants.

The governing body said the exact dates for the 2028, 2031 and 2033 AFCON tournaments would be communicated at a later date.

The renewed bidding process is expected to provide more African countries with an opportunity to host the continent’s flagship football competition.