The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the official kick-off and final dates for the 2027 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda under the “PAMOJA 2027” banner.
According to CAF, the tournament will begin on Saturday, June 19, 2027, while the final will take place on Saturday, July 17, 2027. The governing body, however, said the host nations for both the opening match and the final will be confirmed at a later date.
The 2027 edition will make history as the first AFCON to be jointly hosted by three countries, a development CAF says presents a major opportunity to expand the reach of African football, particularly across the East African region, with an estimated audience of over 400 million people.
CAF also confirmed that the draw for the AFCON 2027 qualifiers will be held on May 19, 2026. A total of 48 teams, including the three host nations, will compete for qualification.
The qualifying series will be played across three FIFA international windows: September 21 to October 6, 2026; November 9 to 17, 2026; and March 22 to 30, 2027. Teams will be divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two sides from each group earning a place at the final tournament.
The PAMOJA 2027 edition marks a return of the AFCON to East Africa for the first time since Ethiopia hosted the competition in 1976.
CAF noted that the tournament will build on the commercial and global success of recent editions, including Côte d’Ivoire 2023 and Morocco 2025, which recorded strong sponsorship growth, broadcast audiences, and revenue, reinforcing the competition’s global appeal.
