What had been touted as a possible joint southern African bid with South Africa and Zimbabwe collapsed at the most basic hurdle, the submission of the required documents. Like in 2024, the blue, black, and white nation is once again left to ponder what could have been after another bid to bring the Africa Cup of Nations finals to the doorstep of Batswana collapsed before it could even get off the ground. Under the previous administration, Botswana went all the way in its pursuit of the 2027 AFCON, whetting the appetite of a nation before CAF president Patrice Motsepe delivered the devastating news from a hotel conference room in Cairo. A delegation led by then-Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture Tumiso Rakgare boarded an Ethiopian Airlines flight back home, crestfallen. A joint East African bid by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda had carried the day, crushing Botswana's hopes.
Despite the controversy surrounding the astronomical P63 million reportedly spent putting together the bid book, Botswana returned to try its luck again, this time through a joint bid with neighbours South Africa and Zimbabwe. But this time, the effort fell flat before the starting gun had even been fired. Botswana, like other interested nations, was expected to submit its bid documents by Monday, September 14, 2026. When the submission window closed, however, there was no document from Gaborone on the desk at CAF headquarters in Cairo. This week, it emerged that the government had declined to back the bid, citing financial constraints. BFA president Tariq Babitseng declined to comment on the submission, instead referring inquiries to the Ministry of Sport and Arts. Minister Jacob Kelebeng had not responded to MmegiSport inquiries sent on Tuesday. However, sources indicate that the government made it clear that it could not support the bid, coming so soon after the country had spent heavily on the Botswana Athletics Association's hosting of the World Relays in May.
