‎By Hosea Parah

‎Zimbabwe has officially secured a government backing for its joint bid with South Africa, and Botswana to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

‎With that, Zimbabwe is the only co-bidder with official state backing for the 2028 AFCON, while partners await theirs

‎The three southern African nations submitted a joint proposal to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to stage the 2028 AFCON, with hosting responsibilities expected to be shared among the countries.

‎However, Zimbabwe has now become the only member of the joint bid to have officially received government guarantee backing.

‎South Africa and Botswana have yet to secure their respective government guarantees, leaving Zimbabwe as the only country in the proposal to have met that requirement.

‎Despite the development, Zimbabwe is unlikely to be considered as a standalone host because the bid was submitted as a joint proposal involving all three countries.

‎Under the original plan, Zimbabwe and Botswana were expected to host group-stage matches, while Botswana had also expressed interest in staging a semi-final.

‎The status of the joint bid could become clearer in the coming days, with further updates on the 2028 AFCON hosting process expected next week.

‎CAF is expected to assess the various hosting proposals before making a final decision on the tournament’s host..