Nigeria Sets Sights on Hosting 2028 Women’s African Cup of Nations

Nigeria has launched plans to host the 2028 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), aiming to use the tournament to strengthen its international image and advance President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic and development agenda.

National Sports Commission (NSC) chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko, disclosed the plan, describing it as part of the government’s wider effort to make sports a key driver of national renewal.

We are also working to see if we can even get the WAFCON in 2028 from CAF. So, we’ll also continue pressing for that.

He explained that Nigeria’s unsuccessful bid for the Commonwealth Games was not a setback, but an opportunity to focus on other major sporting events. “We will continue our own trajectory, because we have an offer to host the Africa Games in 2031... We have also been offered the Africa Youth Games for 2027 and we’ll continue our preparations for that as well,” he stated.

Dikko, a former chairman of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) and ex–NFF vice-president, emphasized that hosting major sports competitions aligns with the government’s “New Agenda” to enhance infrastructure, create jobs, and stimulate the domestic sports economy. “Hosting major competitions is one of the fundamental pillars of the current government’s New Agenda. That’s also the best way through which we can get our facilities working,” he explained.

He added that beyond economic gains, sports provide a platform for rebranding Nigeria on the global stage. “We want to use sports to keep lifting up the country and make it have the best image globally... while also attracting investors, tourists and many other benefits,” Dikko concluded.