AFCON 2027: One year to go until Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda host historic tournament

The three East African nations will jointly host the tournament for the first time, marking the first AFCON to be staged in the region since Ethiopia hosted the competition in 1976.

The tournament will run until 17 July 2027 and is expected to attract more than 1.5 million fans, while reaching a global television audience of over 3.2 billion.

CAF is yet to confirm which of the three host nations will stage the opening match, the final and the final draw, which is scheduled for March 2027.

With 365 days to go, attention now turns to the qualification campaign, which will determine the 24 teams that will compete for the continental title.

The tournament’s theme, “Pamoja”, the Swahili word for “Together”, reflects CAF’s vision of unity, cooperation and shared progress through football.

AFCON 2027 qualifying schedule

• Matchdays 1 & 2: 21 September to 6 October 2026
• Matchdays 3 & 4: 9 to 17 November 2026
• Matchdays 5 & 6: 22 to 30 March 2027

Host nations Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have already qualified automatically but will still compete in the qualifiers, with only one additional team advancing from each of their groups.

Among the nations aiming to qualify are Morocco, Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal, Algeria, Nigeria, Cameroon, Tunisia, South Africa and DR Congo.

CAF and the three host nations will continue preparations over the next 12 months as East Africa gets ready to stage one of the biggest sporting events on the continent.

Source:Fiilasports/ghanasoccernet