By Our Correspondent
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have officially begun preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations after receiving the hosting flag at the close of the AFCON 2025 final in Rabat, Morocco.
The handover in Rabat marked the start of the final planning phase for the first-ever AFCON to be jointly staged by three countries under the Pamoja bid.
Speaking after the ceremony, Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi said the region was ready to deliver a successful tournament, citing progress in infrastructure, coordination and hosting capacity.
“Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda are grateful to receive the flag today from CAF. That means immediately we shall be hosting AFCON come the year 2027,” Mwangi said.
He said the three countries had drawn valuable lessons from the African Nations Championship (CHAN), which Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda staged jointly, and were confident of meeting Confederation of African Football (CAF) standards.
Mwangi added that the region had the facilities and experience required, pointing to stadium upgrades, accommodation and the preparedness of national teams.
Political goodwill, he said, would be critical to the tournament’s success.
“The President is really supporting us. Our country’s Executive Presidents, they are supporting us. We shall make it,” Mwangi said.
The hosting decision has, however, attracted criticism from some quarters, with concerns raised over infrastructure and travel logistics across the three countries.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe has strongly defended the award of AFCON 2027 to East Africa, dismissing claims that Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are not ready to host the continent’s premier football tournament.
His remarks came after Senegalese journalist and football analyst Mamadou Gaye questioned the region’s capacity, warning that staging the competition across three countries could “downgrade” African football.
Gaye cited concerns that limited road networks could force fans and teams into journeys lasting up to two days between venues, potentially disrupting the tournament and diminishing its prestige compared to Morocco’s 2025 edition.
Motsepe rejected the criticism, saying CAF’s responsibility was to grow football across the continent, not only in countries with advanced infrastructure.
“I have a duty to develop football all over Africa – I can’t have football only in those countries with the best infrastructure,” Motsepe said.
AFCON 2027 is expected to be staged across multiple cities in the three countries, with major investments planned in stadiums, transport networks and hospitality facilities.
CAF awarded the hosting rights to the Pamoja bid in September 2023, banking on regional cooperation, existing infrastructure and the potential to grow football in East Africa.
The tournament will feature 24 national teams and is projected to attract thousands of fans, officials and media from across Africa and beyond.
AFCON 2027 will be the 36th edition of the continental championship and is scheduled for August 2027. It will be the first AFCON hosted by three nations and the first to be staged in the CECAFA region in nearly five decades, since Ethiopia hosted the tournament in 1976.
The edition will also form part of AFCON’s 70th anniversary celebrations and will be the last to be held in an odd-numbered year. CAF announced in December 2025 that the competition will shift to a four-year cycle starting in 2028.
Qualifying matches will begin in March 2026 with a preliminary round involving the lowest-ranked teams. Group-stage qualifiers will follow in September, October and November 2026.
Organizers say AFCON 2027 presents East Africa with an opportunity to showcase its football, culture and capacity to host a major continental event, while setting a new benchmark for joint tournaments on the continent.