Opportunity for Nigeria to host AFCON as CAF opens bidding for 2028, 2032 and 2036 tournaments

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially opened the bidding process for the 2028, 2032 and 2036 editions of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), giving all 54 member associations, including Nigeria, the opportunity to compete for the right to host Africa's biggest football tournament.

The announcement marks the beginning of what is expected to be a highly competitive race as countries across the continent prepare proposals to stage one of the world's most prestigious international football competitions.

In a statement published on its official website, CAF confirmed that the bidding process is now underway and invited all eligible member associations to express their interest in hosting the tournament.

According to the continental football governing body, the bidding framework has been developed with the assistance of independent experts to ensure a transparent, fair, and competitive selection process.

CAF said prospective hosts will be evaluated using a comprehensive set of criteria covering technical readiness, commercial viability, infrastructure, operational capacity, and the overall ability to deliver a world-class tournament.

The organisation noted that the revised bidding framework reflects its commitment to raising the standards of the Africa Cup of Nations while ensuring the competition continues to grow globally.

Nigeria is among the nations eligible to submit bids for any of the three tournament editions.

As one of Africa's football powerhouses, Nigeria has previously hosted the Africa Cup of Nations and possesses several modern stadiums capable of staging major international competitions.

However, any future bid would likely require further investment in sporting infrastructure, transportation, accommodation, and tournament logistics to satisfy CAF's hosting requirements.

Should the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Federal Government through the National Sports Commission (NSC) decide to pursue a bid, the country would compete against other interested CAF member nations for the hosting rights.