Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe has downplayed fears that East Africa is not ready to host Africa Cup of Nations 2027 (AFCON 2027).
The opening match will be played on Saturday, June 19th, and the final on Saturday, July 17, 2027 as per the dates approved by the FIFA Council at its recent meeting in Vancouver, Canada.
CAF will announce the country that will host the opening match and the final in due course. The AFCON PAMOJA 2027 is the first to be hosted by three countries, presenting a unique opportunity for CAF and African football to reach over 400 million people in the East African region.
“Are there areas where there’s room for improvement? Absolutely,” Motsepe told BBC Sports in Nairobi.
“But the commitment, the support from President Ruto (of Kenya), from Madam [President] Samia [Suluhu Hassan] in Tanzania, from President Museveni (of Uganda) is enormous.
“We’ve got people from CAF, who are permanently based in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, and they are everyday working on the preparations and making sure that the Afcon which is going to take place in June 2027 is going to be successful.”
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Hussein Mohammed backed Motsepe’s comments by saying: “I have no doubt East Africa is ready and will deliver the best AFCON the continent and the world has ever seen.
Motsepe attended the Africa Forward Summit and inspected preparations for the PAMOJA 2027 AFCON, which Kenya is co-hosting.
“We do not intend to compete with Morocco as the Minister has alluded to. We are unique in East Africa and we will deliver a unique AFCON that has never been seen before,” said FKF president Hussein Mohammed.
“In this regard, it is not just the hardware, being the facilities and stadiums but also the software. East Africa is known for its hospitality, we are known to be a hardworking population and we are known for delivering quality and we experienced that with CHAN,” added Hussein
The 2027 AFCON will come after Morocco hosted the 2025 edition, which was widely praised as one of the best-organised in history.
PAMOJA Nations agree on establishment of oversight committee for AFCON 2027
Meanwhile, CAF President Motsepe, together with Government Ministers and Football Federation Presidents from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, have agreed to establish the PAMOJA Oversight Committee for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations during a working meeting in Nairobi, Kenya.
The decision was reached following a high-level meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya, as part of ongoing efforts to accelerate preparations for the first-ever TotalEnergies CAF AFCON to be jointly hosted by three countries.
Present at the meeting were:
- Hon. Salim Mvurya, Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports of the Republic of Kenya
- Hon. Paul Makonda, Minister of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports of the United Republic of Tanzania
- Hon. Peter Ogwang, Minister of State for Sports of the Republic of Uganda
- Mohammed Hussein, President of the Football Kenya Federation
- Wallace Karia, President of the Tanzania Football Federation
- Moses Magogo, President of the Federation of Uganda Football Associations
- Samson Adamu, CAF Acting General Secretary
The leaders signed a Joint Resolution establishing the PAMOJA Oversight Committee with immediate effect. The Committee will provide strategic direction, coordination and oversight of preparations for TotalEnergies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027 across the three host nations.
Under the agreed roadmap, the parties committed to several key milestones to be achieved by the end of August 2026, including:
- Acceleration of stadium and infrastructure development
- Confirmation of host venues and key operational plans
- Cross-border coordination on visa, immigration, customs and mobility
- Safety, security and medical preparedness
- Delivery of core tournament infrastructure and services
Further enquiries: communications@cafonline.com
