AFCON 2027 in East Africa: what CAF has confirmed, and what is still open
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will jointly host AFCON 2027 from 19 June to 17 July 2027, the first time three countries have staged the tournament. CAF has confirmed the hosts, the dates and the qualifying route, but stadium readiness and the final venue are still being worked through.
Key points
- CAF confirms Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as joint hosts, from 19 June to 17 July 2027.
- It is the first AFCON hosted by three countries, and the first in East Africa since Ethiopia in 1976.
- A February 2026 CAF inspection found none of the proposed venues yet met the required standards.
- CAF has not confirmed which stadium will host the final.
What happened
CAF calls the tournament PAMOJA 2027. Pamoja is the Swahili word for together, and the name fits the plan: three neighbouring countries staging one tournament across multiple cities. CAF says the finals will mark the return of AFCON to East Africa for the first time since Ethiopia hosted in 1976, and that the tournament could reach more than 400 million people across the region.
The hard work now is stadiums. Reporting from Kenya says Talanta Sports City had passed the 90 percent mark in May 2026, while renovation of the Moi International Sports Centre at Kasarani was significantly behind schedule. CAF set January 2027 as the deadline for all match venues and training grounds to be fully operational, so the next inspections matter a lot.
Claim by claim
Why this label: CAF states this directly in its qualifying preview for PAMOJA 2027.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Dates given by CAF in the same article.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: CAF describes the finals as marking the return of AFCON to East Africa for the first time since 1976.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Pulse Sports Kenya reporting on the inspection and on LOC chairman Nicholas Musonye's update. CAF requires venues to be fully operational by January 2027.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: CAF president Patrice Motsepe announced an expansion, reported by Pulse Sports, but CAF's own May 2026 qualifying article still describes 48 nations in 12 groups with the top two qualifying, and final regulations reconciling the two have not been published in the sources checked. Treat the 28-team format as announced but not yet fully documented.
On the ladder: the evidence so far sits low — early, single or social sources. We publish the claim as a claim, never as fact.
Why this label: No source checked for this story names a confirmed final venue. Kenya's Talanta stadium is described in Kenyan reporting as earmarked for an opening or closing ceremony, which is not the same as a CAF confirmation.
On the ladder: the evidence so far sits low — early, single or social sources. We publish the claim as a claim, never as fact.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- The three hosts and the tournament dates are confirmed by CAF.
- Qualifying runs across three international windows between September 2026 and March 2027, per CAF.
What we don't know yet
- Which stadium will host the final, and the full final list of match venues.
- Whether the finals will have 24 or 28 teams under final published regulations.
Why it matters
This is East Africa's biggest football moment in fifty years. If the stadiums land on time, three countries share the visitors, the spending and the spotlight. If they do not, CAF has to cut venues late, and the region loses part of a chance that may not come again for a generation.
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