The Buffalo City Metro could host the Cosafa Cup for the first time, with talks under way to bring the 14-nation regional football tournament — including Bafana Bafana — to KuGompo City.
The potential bid hinges on intended discussions between BCM and the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa), with the organisation understood to have already written to the metro regarding the possibility of staging the event in the city.
This was revealed by Safa Eastern Cape competitions chair Eric Sandile Mata, who said Cosafa was seeking a meeting with the metro’s executive leadership.
“Buffalo City, Nelson Mandela Bay and OR Tambo are municipalities that have the capacity to host big tournaments. Cosafa wants a meeting with the executive mayor,” Mata said.
“They want to bring the Cosafa games here in KuGompo City, particularly to the Sisa Dukashe Stadium.”
The Cosafa Cup is an annual regional competition featuring national teams from across Southern Africa, including Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Zambia and Zimbabwe, alongside hosts SA.
The tournament is traditionally staged in June or July, though scheduling may be adjusted due to international competitions such as the Fifa World Cup.
SA has been a regular host of the tournament since 2017.
If the proposal materialises, it would mark the first time Buffalo City hosts the Cosafa Cup and the first international football matches in the metro since 2017, when Bafana Bafana played friendlies against Zambia and Angola at the Buffalo City Stadium.
The Eastern Cape has previously hosted Cosafa matches in Nelson Mandela Bay, most recently in 2024 and 2021, when Bafana Bafana won the tournament.
On those occasions, the Wolfson Stadium was primarily used for group stage matches, while the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium hosted knockout fixtures.
Earlier editions of the tournament were also staged in the province, including in 2002 when matches were held at the now-defunct Boet Erasmus Stadium.
Despite growing interest in the proposal, there is no formal confirmation yet that Buffalo City will host the tournament.
Safa Buffalo City president Prince Sibam said the regional association had not received official communication on the matter.
“We are aware of the discussions and the rumours, but there has been no formal correspondence to us as the region,” Sibam said.
Provincial government spokesperson Andile Nduna said the province had also not been approached.
“The last time they did was when the competition was in Gqeberha,” Nduna said.
“They approached us late even then, and it was not in our budget for that year.”
Buffalo City Metro spokesperson Bongani Fuzile did not respond to questions.
Cosafa media manager Lynda Greef could not respond to queries by the time of publication.
While uncertainty remains over whether the bid will materialise, business and tourism stakeholders have welcomed the possibility, citing the potential economic impact of hosting a major sporting event.
The arrival of such a tournament in KuGompo City is not merely a sporting decision; it is a strategic economic intervention with the potential to unlock economic growth and job creation
— Luthando Bara, Black Business Forum president
Black Business Forum president Luthando Bara said the tournament could have “meaningful economic and social implications” for the region.
“The arrival of such a tournament in KuGompo City is not merely a sporting decision; it is a strategic economic intervention with the potential to unlock economic growth and job creation,” Bara said.
“It will introduce direct economic participation for local businesses, especially key tourism products such as accommodation, caterers, eateries, transport operators, informal traders, among others.
“This will represent a shift away from the traditional concentration of opportunities in established urban centres toward historically overlooked areas’”
Bara said major sporting events often catalysed infrastructure upgrades, including improvements to roads, facilities and public spaces, which could support longer-term economic activity.
“Hosting a tournament of this magnitude repositions the area as a viable destination for investment, tourism and large-scale events.
“It presents an opportunity to reshape perceptions and tell a new story about the city,” he said.
Women in Tourism Eastern Cape provincial chair Thandi Mkhanzana said the sector, which had not fully recovered from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, stood to benefit from increased visitor numbers.
“Hosting such an event in Buffalo City will have many positive economic spin-offs for many in the sector,” she said.
Mkhanzana said tourism stakeholders in the metro were engaging with authorities on upcoming events, including preparations linked to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup matches scheduled for 2027 in KuGompo City.
Border-Kei Chamber of Business director Lizelle Maurice said major sporting events were key drivers of economic activity.
“When players come, families, officials, fans and supporters will also come,” Maurice said.
“Our airport, BnBs, restaurants and many other businesses would be busy.
“If the metro can position itself as a sporting hub, that would be a step in the right direction in growing the region’s economic potential.”
Buffalo City is already set to host matches during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2027, and stakeholders say securing the Cosafa Cup would further strengthen its position as a destination for major sporting events.
In 2025, the Cosafa Cup was held in Bloemfontein, where Angola defeated Bafana Bafana 3-0 in the final at the Free State Stadium.
Whether Buffalo City secures hosting rights will depend on the outcome of discussions between Cosafa, the metro and provincial authorities in the coming weeks.
Daily Dispatch
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