The 36th edition will be hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania from June to July 2027. This edition of the tournament will be the first to be hosted by three countries, and the first in five decades to be organised in the CECAFA region, since it was hosted by Ethiopia in 1976.
This event will be part of AFCON’s 70th anniversary. It will also be the last one to be held in odd-numbered years, as CAF announced in December 2025 that AFCON would become a quadrennial tournament from 2028 onwards.
The three hosting nations will provide three stadiums for a total of nine. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda each initially proposed two cities for the tournament.
However, the tournament will likely be hosted in 10 cities overall. The cities are: Nairobi, Eldoret and Kakamega in Kenya, as well as Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Dodoma and Zanzibar in Tanzania and also in Kampala, Lira and Hoima in Uganda.
The 2027 AFCON will follow the 2025 edition held in Morocco, which has been hailed by many as a well-organised tournament. American singer Akon was among those who showed great praise for the organisation of the AFCON, not hiding his admiration for the Moroccan infrastructure.
“The stadiums are crazy, they are magnificent. Honestly, we can say that you are now ready to host a World Cup,” Akon told the media recently. “The way you organised the AFCON, everything was very convenient.
“The train journey between Tangier and Rabat was easy. I really enjoyed it.”
Morocco have set new standards
In an interview, the FKF supremo admitted there was a lot of work to be done by the three East African nations to match the standards set by the Morocco edition.
“It is important to stay focused in terms of how we organise our events, and also make sure we keep improving on the standards, there is a lot of work ahead of us,” responded Mohammed when asked what Kenya can learn from Morocco.
“What I have noticed is there is no compromise in terms of quality, in terms of organisation, in terms of commitment that you need to put in to achieve what Morocco have achieved. They have set a new bar; they have set new standards.”
He added: “We have a lot of learning to do, particularly to make AFCON 2027 bigger and better.”
Discussing the importance of a strong transport network for the success of the 2027 AFCON, Mohammed said: “The government of Kenya has shown its commitment over the last couple of years in terms of the infrastructure development, not only football, but generally speaking.
“I am sure there is work going on behind the scenes, and His Excellency the President William Ruto has been very clear and categorical, he will not stop at nothing in improving the infrastructure, especially when it comes to sports development.
“We won’t ask for anything more, the relationship between the Kenyan government and the federation is very strong, I am happy we work closely in collaboration with all the other stakeholders, as well as the private sector, but the government has been a fundamental pillar.
“When it comes to infrastructure, I am sure everything will be done to give an exceptional experience for all the fans, who will come for the AFCON in 2027.”
FKF will not abandon Harambee Stars
Asked whether the Kenya national team, Harambee Stars, will be ready to put up a strong challenge for the title, he said: “We have had lengthy and very elaborate discussions with the coach of the national team to ensure they put in a good show. We will enable them a good environment to thrive in.
“We have asked for their wish list, we are on the same page, we are all committed, and will provide all they want. I can assure Kenyans, I can assure the technical bench, that we will not leave them hanging, or we will not abandon them, we are going to walk them in this journey, and we will succeed eventually.”
On whether Kenya will be ready to host AFCON, he explained: “Kenya will be ready for sure, we will be ready, even Uganda, and Tanzania they will be ready, I have the confidence, we pulled it off in CHAN, and we will do it for AFCON.
“We have the most resilient, the most committed, dedicated people in East and Central Africa. I know it will work; it will succeed. Once we get the support of every Kenyan, including the government, we will host the most successful AFCON in the history of the competition.”
Qualifying matches for the 2027 AFCON will be played during FIFA international windows in March 2026 (matchdays 1-2), September/October 2026 (matchdays 3-6), and November 2026 (play-off round).
