BY OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN-ROSE
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will still hold as planned in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, the Confederation of African Football said on Friday. It is the first east African countries to host it after Ethiopia in 1976.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe denied press reports that the competition could be postponed to 2028 because Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania were not yet ready to host the tournament.
“We have done a lot to have AFCON held in east Africa, and our commitment remains to have AFCON in east Africa,” Motsepe said after a CAF executive committee meeting.
“I believe we will hold a very successful AFCON among the three countries.
“CAF will work closely with the host nations to ensure every aspect of the tournament — from infrastructure to logistics — meet the highest standards.”
Although rumours has it that it will run from June 19th to July 18th 2027, no official dates have been set for the tournament yet, but CAF has picked smame months, just before the Kenyan general elections in August.
Chair of the Kenyan local organising committee, Nicholas Musonye, had suggested postponing the tournament to 2028 due to “the volatile atmosphere around these elections, warning that security would not be guaranteed for such a big competition as the Africa Cup of Nations”.
Motsepe said that CAF would continue to invest in the training and development of referees and VAR officials to ensure the integrity of African football remains a priority.
The officiating came under scrutiny at the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, especially in the final between the host nation and Senegal in which the Senegalese were angered over a penalty decision before going on to win the AFCON.
