The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unveiled the key dates for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, a historic edition that will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
The opening match is scheduled for June 19, 2027, while the final will take place on July 17, 2027. The host country for these two matches has yet to be determined, CAF noted.
For the first time in its history, the tournament will be jointly organized by three countries—an unprecedented format expected to reach more than 400 million spectators across East Africa.
Regarding the qualifiers, the draw is set for May 19, 2026, following the preliminary round. A total of 48 teams, including the three host nations, will take part in the qualifiers. These will be played over six matchdays, spread across three FIFA international windows between September 2026 and March 2027.
Teams will be divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two from each group qualifying for the final tournament.
AFCON 2027 will also mark the return of the competition to East Africa for the first time since 1976, when Ethiopia hosted the tournament.
This edition builds on the success of recent tournaments, notably AFCON 2023 in Côte d’Ivoire and AFCON 2025 in Morocco, which recorded strong commercial performances and a significant rise in global viewership, confirming the growing momentum of African football.
