Ghana, Egypt, Morocco, Senegal and South Africa will host a series of major Confederation of African Football (CAF) competitions over the next year as the continent’s football calendar takes shape.
CAF says the increasingly settled schedule will give national associations, commercial partners and supporters greater certainty while creating more opportunities for players at senior and youth levels.
The calendar includes the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, a CAF Super Cup in South Africa and a series of youth tournaments across Ghana, Morocco and Egypt.
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled to run from 19 June to 17 July 2027, with qualifying for the tournament beginning in September 2026.
South Africa will host the 2027 CAF Super Cup, with African champions Mamelodi Sundowns facing Confederation Cup holders USM Alger in Tshwane on 8 November 2026.
The match is scheduled for 15:00 local time (13:00 GMT) and will bring together the winners of Africa’s two leading club competitions.
The host nations will also play a major role in CAF’s youth football programme.
Ghana has been selected to stage the 2027 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations in February and March, while Morocco will host the Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations in April and May.
Egypt, meanwhile, will stage the 2027 Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations. The tournament will carry added significance because it will serve as the qualifying competition for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
CAF’s youth competitions form an important part of its wider development strategy, providing players with a pathway to international football and helping national associations build their next generation of talent.
The governing body is also considering another competition for young female players.
CAF is studying the possibility of launching a new Under-17 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations next year, subject to the necessary sporting and organisational requirements being met.
If introduced, the tournament would add another level to CAF’s women’s football structure and give young female players across the continent an additional competitive platform.
Women’s football will also feature prominently elsewhere on the calendar.
Morocco is scheduled to host the 2026 Futsal Africa Cup of Nations from 12 to 21 October, while Senegal will stage the 2026 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations in November.
CAF is also continuing work on plans for an African Nations League.
The proposed competition has been discussed by the CAF Executive Committee as part of efforts to create more meaningful international fixtures and strengthen the commercial value of national-team football.
At club level, the 2026-27 continental season is already beginning to take shape.
The draws for the preliminary rounds of both the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup have been completed, giving participating clubs a clearer route through the competitions.
The opening preliminary-round matches are scheduled for 4-6 September 2026, with the second legs to be played from 11-13 September.
The increasingly detailed calendar is part of CAF’s attempt to bring greater stability to African football, where national-team tournaments, club competitions and youth events often compete for space in an already crowded schedule.
For football associations, having dates and host venues confirmed well in advance can make planning easier.
Ghana, Egypt, Morocco, Senegal and South Africa will therefore occupy prominent positions on CAF’s calendar, while Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda prepare to host the continent’s biggest national-team tournament in 2027.
With qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations beginning in September and the club competitions also getting under way, the 2026-27 season promises to be one of the busiest periods on the African football calendar.
