Ethiopia bids to host AFCON for the first time in 52 years – but they face major stadium problem

Ethiopia has officially entered the race to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations, with the government backing its bid to bring the tournament back for the first time since 1976.

However, the country faces a major infrastructure challenge, with only one existing stadium currently approved by CAF.

Ethiopia only have one CAF-approved stadium denting AFCON hopes

The Ethiopian Football Federation has submitted an official bid to host AFCON 2028, describing the proposal as evidence of the country's readiness to stage Africa's biggest football tournament, per the BBC.

Ethiopia has hosted the competition three times, in 1962, 1968 and 1976, but its stadium infrastructure remains a major concern.

The country had just one CAF-approved stadium last season, the 52,000-capacity Bahir Dar Stadium.

A new 62,000-seat Adey Abeba International Stadium in Addis Ababa is expected to be completed next year and could provide another major venue.

However, three other proposed stadiums are at much earlier stages of development and would need significant work to meet CAF requirements before 2028.

That leaves serious questions over whether Ethiopia could provide enough compliant venues for a 24-team tournament across multiple locations.

The challenge extends beyond stadiums, with training facilities, accommodation, transport, security and other infrastructure also needing to meet the demands of a major international tournament.

Security could prove another major obstacle, with parts of Ethiopia continuing to experience armed conflict and political unrest despite Addis Ababa being comparatively safe.

Ethiopia's bid faces competition from a joint proposal involving Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, while CAF has said it has received several other bids for upcoming editions.

FGG says: Ethiopia have a mountain to climb

Bringing AFCON back to Ethiopia would be a fantastic story given the country's history with the competition and its first title on home soil in 1962.

But with just one CAF-approved stadium today and several other infrastructure challenges to overcome, there is an enormous amount of work required to make the 2028 tournament realistic.

The new Addis Ababa stadium could be a major asset, but Ethiopia will need far more than one impressive venue to convince CAF.