The Confederation of African Football (Confederation of African Football) has officially confirmed the dates for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, MySportDab Reports.
Following Morocco’s successful hosting of the 2025 edition, the 36th AFCON tournament is scheduled to take place from June 19 to July 18, 2027. This edition will mark a historic moment as it will be the first time three East African nations jointly host the continent’s premier football competition.
It is also the first AFCON staged in the CECAFA region in 50 years, since Ethiopia hosted the tournament in 1976.
The 2027 tournament will form part of AFCON’s 70th anniversary celebrations. It will also be the final edition held in an odd-numbered year, after CAF announced plans in December 2025 to switch the tournament to a four-year cycle beginning from 2028.
In Uganda, the Local Organising Committee confirmed that matches will be staged at Mandela National Stadium in Kira Municipality and the newly developed Hoima City Stadium.
In Kenya, host cities are expected to include Nairobi, Eldoret, and Kakamega, while Tanzania will host matches across Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Dodoma, and Zanzibar.
According to organisers, the selection of these cities aims to balance existing football infrastructure with regional development goals while ensuring wider national participation across all three host countries.
The announcement comes shortly after Kenya met key CAF requirements, including the payment of a $30 million hosting fee. Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Salim Mvurya, confirmed that the country had fulfilled all financial and institutional obligations to CAF, reaffirming its readiness to co-host the tournament.
Kenya also restructured its Local Organising Committee to strengthen planning and execution, ensuring alignment with the scale and demands of a major continental event.
In a major fan-friendly move, Uganda has announced that it will waive visa fees for visitors for a period covering one month before the tournament begins and one month after the final match, making travel easier for supporters.
The qualifying campaign for the 2027 AFCON took place during the March FIFA international window, with teams such as Burundi, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Eritrea progressing to the next stage.
The 2027 edition follows the successful co-hosting of the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) by the same three East African nations in early 2025, further showcasing the region’s growing capacity to stage major football tournaments.
