CAF sets dates for historic East Africa co-hosted AFCON 2027

The Confédération Africaine de Football has announced the official match schedule for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, marking a historic edition that will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

In a statement, CAF confirmed that the opening match of the tournament, officially branded TotalEnergies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027, will be played on June 19, 2027, with the final scheduled for July 17, 2027.

The governing body said the specific host nations for both the opening match and the final will be announced at a later date.

“The Opening Match will be played on Saturday, 19 June 2027 and the Final on Saturday, 17 July 2027,” CAF said, noting that further details on venues will follow in due course.

The 2027 edition will be the first in the tournament’s history to be hosted by three countries, a move CAF says is aimed at expanding the competition’s reach and impact across the East African region.

“The TotalEnergies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027 is the first AFCON to be hosted by three countries, presenting a unique opportunity… to reach over 400 million people in the East Africa region,” the organisation said.

Preparations for the tournament are already underway, with the qualification process set to gather momentum later this month.

CAF confirmed that the draw for the qualifiers will take place on May 19, 2026, setting the stage for teams to begin their journey to the finals.

A total of 48 teams, including the three host nations, will take part in the qualification campaign.

These teams will be divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two sides from each group advancing to the final tournament.

“The Draw will determine the pathway to the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027,” CAF said.

The qualifiers will be played across three FIFA international windows, beginning with matchdays one and two scheduled between September 21 and October 6, 2026.

Matchdays three and four will follow from November 9 to 17, 2026, before the final round of qualifiers takes place between March 22 and 30, 2027.

The 2027 tournament also marks a significant return of Africa’s premier football competition to the East African region for the first time in over five decades, since Ethiopia hosted the event in 1976.

CAF said the upcoming edition will build on the commercial and sporting success of recent tournaments, including the 2023 finals in Côte d’Ivoire and the upcoming 2025 edition in Morocco, both of which have attracted strong global audiences and sponsorship growth.