The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) has hinted at retaining the initial schedule of the beckoning 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, Africa’s premier football tournament in East Africa.

The tournament, which is scheduled for June 19 to July 17, 2027, will still take place in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania under the ‘Pamoja‘ banner, despite earlier reports of stripping the East African nations of the rights to host the showpiece due to sluggish stadia and infrastructure upgrade.

While confirming that the AFCON will return to taking place every two years on Thursday, October 29, 2026, CAF president Patrice Motsepe announced at the CAF Strategy Conference in Cabo Verde which was held from 7-9 October 2026, that the next AFCON will take place in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

“The next TotalEnergies CAF AFCON will take place in 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and I am confident that it will be very successful. The subsequent AFCONs thereafter will take place in 2028, 2031 and 2033. The forthcoming FIFA World Cup will take place in 2030 and in accordance with the FIFA tradition, the final tournament of the AFCON and other Confederations National Teams competitions may not take place during the year of the FIFA World Cup,” Motsepe said.

Kenya gets ready

Kenya will put its main venue for AFCON 2027, the new Raila Odinga Odinga International Stadium to test when the facility hosts a high-profile friendly pitting Bundesliga giants and Duth heavyweights Ajax Amsterdam on Tuesday, January 5, 2027.

In a recorded announcement on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum in Moscow on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Ruto broke the news as Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are finalising on stadia infrastructure ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

“Come fifth January 2027, we will open this stadium with a historic match between two giants of European football, FC Bayern Munich of Germany and AFC Ajax of Amsterdam,” Ruto said.

The President said the two clubs have won the European championship 10 times between them, describing the fixture as a fitting start for the new facility, which is expected to play a central role in Kenya’s preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

“Two years ago, I promised the people of Kenya a world-class stadium where the greatest teams in the world would come to play. Today, we are keeping that promise,” he said.

A major examination before AFCON

Talanta Stadium is expected to accommodate 60,000 spectators, making it one of the largest and most significant additions to Kenya’s sporting infrastructure.

Beyond hosting matches, Kenya has expressed ambitions to stage both the opening and closing ceremonies of AFCON 2027 at Talanta Stadium.

Appearing before the National Assembly’s Select Committee on Regional Integration in August 2026, Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi and the tournament’s Local Organising Committee outlined the country’s preparations for the competition.

Committee chair Nicholas Musonye said the new facility strengthened Kenya’s chances of securing the two ceremonies, citing its progress towards completion alongside the country’s security arrangements and hospitality facilities.

“We stand a good chance to host both the opening and closing ceremonies,” Musonye told the committee, according to a report published by Parliament on August 23, 2026.

He also expressed confidence in Kenya’s preparations ahead of the Confederation of African Football’s inspections. Parliament’s report on the AFCON preparations detailed the country’s ambitions.

Uganda and Tanzania are also on course in finalising their respective select venues for the fast-approaching AFCON 2027.