CAF confirms date for AFCON 2027
African football will take a bold step into new territory in 2027, as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) officially confirmed the dates for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) PAMOJA, a groundbreaking edition to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
The tournament will kick off on Saturday, 19 June 2027, with the final scheduled for Saturday, 17 July 2027, marking a month-long celebration of the continent’s biggest football spectacle. These dates have received the backing of the FIFA Council, following its recent meeting in Vancouver, Canada, adding global weight to what is already shaping up to be a landmark competition.
CAF is yet to announce which of the three host nations will stage the opening match and the final, but anticipation is already building across the East African region. For the first time in AFCON history, three countries will co-host the tournament, a move expected to unlock unprecedented reach, with over 400 million people across East Africa set to be part of the experience.
Beyond the spectacle, attention now shifts to the road to qualification. Following the completion of the preliminary round, the next major milestone is the official draw for the qualifiers, scheduled for 19 May 2026. A total of 48 teams, including the three host nations, will battle for places at the finals.
The qualification series will unfold across three FIFA international windows:
Matchdays 1 & 2: 21 September – 6 October 2026
Matchdays 3 & 4: 9 – 17 November 2026
Matchdays 5 & 6: 22 – 30 March 2027
Teams will be divided into 12 groups of four, with only the top two from each group earning a ticket to East Africa.
AFCON 2027 also signals a long-awaited return to the region, the first since Ethiopia hosted the tournament in 1976. It is a symbolic homecoming one that reflects CAF’s broader vision of expanding the game’s footprint across the continent.
Building on the commercial and global success of recent editions in Côte d’Ivoire (2023) and the upcoming Morocco 2025 tournament, AFCON 2027 is poised to raise the bar even higher. With growing sponsorship appeal, increasing broadcast audiences, and a rising global profile, African football continues to assert itself as a powerful force on the world stage.
In 2027, all roads will lead to East Africa, where history, culture, and football will collide in a truly united celebration of the beautiful game.
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