The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially opened the bidding process for the 2028, 2032 and 2036 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournaments, with Zimbabwe part of a Southern African joint bid seeking to bring the continental showpiece back to the region.

Zimbabwe, alongside South Africa, Botswana and Namibia, confirmed a joint expression of interest to host the 2028 edition of AFCON under the COSAFA regional bid.

The proposed four-nation bid aims to combine infrastructure and facilities from the participating countries as Southern Africa targets hosting rights for Africa’s biggest football tournament for the first time since South Africa staged the competition in 2013.

In a statement, CAF invited its member associations to submit bids for the 2028, 2032 and 2036 editions, with the process being guided by a framework developed with support from independent advisers and technical, financial and legal experts.

CAF is expected to assess the submissions before announcing the successful hosts for the future AFCON editions.