The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed the key dates for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), marking a significant milestone in the tournament’s history as it prepares to be jointly hosted by three countries for the first time.
The opening match of the competition will take place on Saturday, 19 June 2027, with the final scheduled for Saturday, 17 July 2027. CAF has said it will announce at a later stage which of the three host nations—Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda—will stage both the opening fixture and the final.
The 2027 edition, officially titled TotalEnergies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027, represents a major development for African football. By being staged across three East African nations, the tournament is expected to reach more than 400 million people in the region, offering what CAF describes as a unique opportunity to expand the game’s footprint and engagement.
Attention is now turning to the qualification process, which will determine the teams that will compete in the finals. Following the completion of the preliminary round, the next step will be the official draw for the qualifiers, set to take place on 19 May 2026. This draw will outline the path teams must navigate to secure a place in the tournament.
A total of 48 teams, including the three host nations, will take part in the qualification stage. These teams will be divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the final tournament.
The qualifiers will be played during three designated FIFA international windows. The first two matchdays are scheduled between 21 September and 6 October 2026. Matchdays three and four will follow from 9 to 17 November 2026, while the final round of matches—matchdays five and six—will take place from 22 to 30 March 2027.
The return of AFCON to East Africa is another notable aspect of the 2027 tournament. It will be the first time the competition has been held in the region since Ethiopia hosted it in 1976, ending a gap of more than five decades.
CAF also highlighted the growing global appeal of the Africa Cup of Nations, pointing to the success of recent editions. Tournaments such as AFCON Côte d’Ivoire 2023 and the upcoming AFCON Morocco 2025 have seen record levels of commercial revenue, increased sponsorship deals and expanded international broadcast audiences. These developments underline the competition’s rising profile and its competitiveness on the global football stage.
With confirmed dates and a clear qualification structure now in place, preparations for AFCON 2027 are gathering pace as East Africa gets ready to host a tournament set to make history.
