2027 Africa Cup of Nations
| |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host countries | Kenya Tanzania Uganda |
| Dates | 19 June – 18 July |
| Teams | 24 |
| Venue | 12 (in 10 host cities) |
← 2025 2028 → | |
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, also referred to as AFCON 2027 or CAN 2027, will be the 36th edition of the African football tournament organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a biennial tournament. It will be hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania between 19 June and 18 July 2027.
This edition of the tournament will be the first to be hosted by three countries, and the first in five decades to be organised in the CECAFA region, since it was hosted by Ethiopia in 1976.
This event is part of the Africa Cup of Nations' 70th anniversary. It will also be the last one to be held in odd-numbered years, as CAF announced in December 2025 that AFCON would become a quadrennial tournament from 2028 onwards.
Morocco are the defending champions after being controversially awarded the 2025 title after an appeal and despite Senegal winning in the final.
Host selection
On 7 April 2023, CAF decided to choose the host nations for the 2025 and 2027 editions of the tournament on the same day.[1] On 27 September the same year, CAF announced that the 2027 edition will be hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.[2]
Bids
The bids were as follows:
- Botswana and Zambia
- Nigeria and Benin – Also bid for the 2025 edition
- Senegal
- Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda (selected)
Qualification
Qualified teams
Qualifying matches will be played during FIFA international windows in March 2026 (preliminary round), September/October 2026 (matchdays 1–4), and November 2026 (matchdays 5–6). The draw was broadcast live on CAF’s official digital platforms and through its broadcast partners.[3]
| Team | Qualification method | Date of qualification | Appearance(s) | Previous best performance[a] | WR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | First | Last | Streak | |||||
| Kenya | Co-hosts | 27 September 2023 | 7th | 1972 | 2019 | 1 | Group stage (1972, 1988, 1990, 1992, 2004, 2019) | TBD |
| Tanzania | 5th | 1980 | 2025 | 3 | Round of 16 (2025) | TBD | ||
| Uganda | 9th | 1962 | 2 | Runners-up (1978) | TBD | |||
Venues
Since the competition will be jointly hosted by three countries, it was initially reported that each host nation would provide three stadiums, bringing the total number of venues to nine. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda each proposed two host cities during the early planning stages of the tournament.[4]
Subsequent planning discussions, however, indicated that the tournament could be staged across a broader geographic footprint, with up to ten host cities in total. In Kenya, the proposed host cities are Nairobi, Eldoret and Kakamega. Tanzania is expected to host matches in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Dodoma and Zanzibar, while Uganda has put forward Kampala, Lira and Hoima as potential venues.
The selection of these cities reflects an effort to balance existing football infrastructure with regional development objectives, as well as to ensure wider national representation across the three host countries.
| City | Stadium | Capacity | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dar es Salaam | Benjamin Mkapa Stadium | 60,000 | |
| Arusha | Samia Suluhu Hassan Stadium (New) | 30,000 | |
| Dodoma | Dodoma Stadium (New) | 32,000 | |
| Zanzibar | Zanzibar Fumba Stadium | 32,500 | |
| Nairobi | Talanta Sports Stadium (New) | 60,000 | |
| Moi International Sports Centre | 55,000 | ||
| Nyayo National Stadium | 30,000 | ||
| Kakamega | Bukhungu Stadium | 25,000 | |
| Eldoret | Kipchoge Keino Stadium | 15,000[5] | |
| Hoima | Hoima City Stadium (New) | 20,000 | |
| Lira | Akii Bua Stadium (New) | 20,000 | |
| Kampala | Mandela National Stadium | 64,125 |
Notes
- ^ Bold text indicates they hosted that edition.
See also
References
- ^ "CAF Executive Committee unanimously supports Morocco's FIFA World Cup 2030 bid". CAFOnline.com. 6 April 2023.
- ^ "Tanzania, Uganda & Kenya to host 2027 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations". CAFOnline.com. 27 September 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ Orevba, Babajide (18 November 2025). "CAF Announces New Format for AFCON Qualifiers As Super Eagles Fail to Qualify for World Cup - Legit.ng". Legit.ng. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
- ^ Gachinga, Silvester (19 October 2023). "AFCON 2027 stadiums: All venues in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania". Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ "The Hansard" (PDF). 13th Parliament of Kenya. 25 September 2024. p. 11.