The dates of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, have been revealed by the Confederation of African Football.
The continental football organization claims that the FIFA Council approved the dates during its most recent meeting in Vancouver, Canada, and that the host nation for the opening game and championship game will be revealed at a later time.
As the first AFCON to be held by three nations, the competition will have the chance to reach nearly 400 million people in the East African region, according to CAF.
“The opening match will be played on Saturday, 19 June 2027, and the final on Saturday, 17 July 2027,” CAF disclosed in a statement.
According to CAF, the qualification series’ preliminary round is finished, and the qualifiers’ draw is scheduled for May 19, 2026. The draw will determine which of the 48 teams, including the three co-hosts, will advance to the final event.
“The Qualifiers will be played across the three FIFA International Windows. Matchdays 1 and 2: 21 September to 6 October 2026. Matchdays 3 and 4: 9 to 17 November 2026; Matchdays 5 and 6: 22 to 30 March 2027.”
According to CAF, the competition will build on the achievements of previous iterations, such as Morocco 2025 and Côte d’Ivoire 2023, which saw notable increases in sponsorship, commercial revenue, and international broadcast viewership, demonstrating the growing popularity of African football worldwide.
AFCON team structures
The 48 teams will be divided into 12 groups of four teams each, according to CAF. The top two teams from each group will advance to the final event.
For the first time since Ethiopia hosted the competition in 1976, the competition will return to East Africa in 2027.
