Milestone 2027 AFCON to Take Place in East Africa with Official Dates Announced

Following Morocco’s successful hosting of the 2025 edition, the 36th tournament will take place in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, running from June 19 to July 18.

This marks the first occasion three East African countries will jointly host the continent’s premier football event, and the first time in half a century that it has occurred in the CECAFA region, which last hosted in Ethiopia in 1976.

Coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the Africa Cup of Nations, this edition will be the last to be held in odd-numbered years, as CAF announced a shift to a quadrennial schedule from 2028 onwards in December 2025.

Hoima Stadium to host matches

The Uganda Local Organising Committee (LOC) has confirmed that the dates have been approved by CAF.

Dennis K. Mugimba, chair of the AFCON local communications and signage committee, has confirmed that Uganda will host two main competition venues – Mandela National Stadium (Namboole) in Kira Municipality, Wakiso District and Hoima City Stadium in Hoima City.

In Kenya, the proposed cities include Nairobi, Eldoret, and Kakamega, while Tanzania is set to host matches in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Dodoma, and Zanzibar.

This city selection aims to harmonise existing football infrastructure with regional development goals and ensure comprehensive national representation across the three host nations.

The announcement of the dates comes shortly after the Kenyan government took important steps to meet CAF’s key requirements for hosting the tournament by the deadline.

Kenya faced a deadline of March 30 to pay a fee of Ksh3.9 billion (approx. $30 million) for the hosting rights, with CAF officials warning that failure to do so could result in losing these rights, while Tanzania and Uganda had already settled their dues.

“I am pleased to announce that the Government of Kenya has fulfilled its financial and institutional responsibilities to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), paving the way for us to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON),” stated Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Salim Mvurya.

“In line with our commitments, the Government has transferred the required USD 30 million hosting fee to CAF, underscoring Kenya’s credibility, preparedness, and commitment to ensuring a successful continental tournament.”

Uganda waives visa fees

Kenya has also restructured its Local Organising Committee (LOC), as Mvurya confirmed, to enhance institutional capacity in line with the scale, complexity, and urgency of preparations required for an event of AFCON’s stature.

The Ugandan government has pledged to eliminate visa fees for all visitors coming to Uganda, in effect for at least three months, starting one month before the AFCON kicks off until one month after the final match.

Qualifying matches for this edition were held during the March FIFA international break, with Burundi, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Eritrea securing their spots in the next round of qualifiers.

This hosting announcement comes after the successful co-hosting by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania of the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) in February 2025, where Morocco triumphed over Madagascar with a 3-2 victory, claiming their third CHAN title in six years.