Botswana withdraws from 2028 AFCON hosting bid amid spending pressures
Botswana has withdrawn from a joint bid with South Africa and Zimbabwe to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations as the government seeks to control spending.
The Botswana AFCON bid ended after the government declined to provide the financial guarantee required for the tournament.
Botswana also failed to submit the required bidding documents before the September 14 deadline, Business Insider Africa reported.
South Africa and Zimbabwe will now continue the hosting process with the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Botswana AFCON bid ends over financial concerns
Sources cited by Botswana newspaper Mmegi said the government did not consider hosting AFCON a priority under current financial conditions.
Football officials reportedly viewed the withdrawal as a missed opportunity.
The tournament would have been shared between Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe. This meant Botswana would not have carried the full cost of hosting the competition.
One source told Mmegi there was disappointment because the three countries would have shared the hosting responsibilities.
Botswana previously made an unsuccessful bid to host the 2027 AFCON.
Hosting rights for that tournament were eventually awarded jointly to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Diamond downturn puts pressure on Botswana
The decision comes as Botswana faces economic pressure from a prolonged downturn in the global diamond market.
Diamonds have traditionally played a major role in the country’s economy.
According to Reuters, diamonds typically account for about one-third of government revenue and three-quarters of Botswana’s foreign-exchange earnings.
Lower diamond exports have placed pressure on government finances.
The African Development Bank has warned that weaker diamond exports have affected economic growth, fiscal balances and Botswana’s external position.
The downturn has also contributed to declining foreign-exchange reserves and rising public debt.
Botswana diamond production falls
The slowdown is also visible in production figures.
De Beers reported that Botswana’s rough diamond production fell 16% in 2025.
Production declined from 17.9 million carats in 2024 to 15.1 million carats in 2025.
Fourth-quarter production fell 56% compared with the same period a year earlier, reaching 1.88 million carats.
Maintenance shutdowns at the Jwaneng and Orapa mines partly contributed to the decline.
Government seeks to control spending
Botswana’s fiscal outlook has improved compared with earlier government projections. However, financial pressures remain.
Finance Minister Ndaba Gaolathe said in September that the projected 2026/27 budget deficit had been revised to 9.26 billion pula.
That represents about 3.1% of gross domestic product.
The government had previously projected a deficit of 26.35 billion pula, equivalent to 8.9% of GDP.
Gaolathe nevertheless warned that controlling expenditure remained important because structural fiscal pressures had not disappeared.
The decision to withdraw the Botswana AFCON bid comes against this wider effort to manage government spending.
South Africa and Zimbabwe continue AFCON process
Botswana’s withdrawal leaves South Africa and Zimbabwe to continue the hosting process with CAF.
Hosting part of AFCON could have brought additional visitors and activity to Botswana’s tourism, hospitality and services sectors.
However, the size of any potential economic benefit is uncertain.
Botswana would only have hosted part of the tournament under the three-country proposal. Therefore, the country would have shared both the potential benefits and hosting responsibilities with South Africa and Zimbabwe.
For Botswana, the decision comes as the government seeks to control spending while its diamond-dependent economy faces continued pressure.