By The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) has officially announced June 19, 2027, as the kick-off date for the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) PAMOJA 2027, with the final scheduled for July 17, 2027.
The tournament will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Notably, the 2027 edition marks the first time in the history of the tournament that three countries will co-host the continental showpiece.
CAF noted that the dates received approval from the FIFA Council during its recent meeting in Vancouver, Canada. While the specific venues for the opening match and final are yet to be confirmed, the continental body stated that announcements will be made in due course.
The qualification race is set to intensify, with the draw scheduled for May 19, 2026. A total of 48 teams, including the three host nations, will compete in the qualifiers, which will be played across three FIFA international windows between September 2026 and March 2027.
The teams will be divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two sides from each group advancing to the tournament.
CAF highlighted that the 2027 edition represents a significant milestone with the tournament returning to East Africa for the first time since Ethiopia hosted the tournament in 1976.
The body added that the competition is expected to reach over 400 million people across the region as it will build on the commercial and global success recorded in recent editions such as AFCON Côte d’Ivoire 2023 and AFCON Morocco 2025.
AFCON, organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), began in 1957 when Egypt won it. Since inception, the highest African men’s football tournament has been played 35 times while 14 different countries have emerged champions, according to Olympics. From records, Egypt have won the title seven times while Cameroon have won five times.
The last time Nigeria won the tournament was in 2013 when it was hosted in Burkina Faso. Before then, Nigeria won it twice in 1980 and 1994. The latest 2025 winner remains disputed. Senegal initially won 1-0 over Morocco, but the court stripped them of the title after a second-half walk-out protest and awarded it to Morocco with a 3-0 win.
Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o holds the record for the highest goalscorer with 18 goals in the tournament, leading Laurent Pokou of Ivory Coast with 14 goals.
Image Source: Daily Sabah
