CAF Confirms AFCON 2027 Dates Amidst Senegal-Morocco Title Controversy

Despite ongoing uncertainty, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will take place from 19 June to 17 July.

For the first time in history, the tournament will be hosted across three countries—Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda—under the banner “PAMOJA 2027.”

This is the first major tournament for many newly renovated stadiums in Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, and Kampala

The announcement comes amid lingering controversy surrounding this year’s tournament in Morocco, where Senegal were initially crowned champions but were later stripped of the title by CAF’s Appeals Board.

The decision followed a protest by Senegal, who walked off the pitch after Morocco were awarded a penalty, causing a delay of nearly 18 minutes.

When play resumed, Brahim Díaz had his penalty saved before Pape Gueye scored a late winner, seemingly securing Senegal’s second AFCON title before the subsequent ruling.

The 2025 title currently remains “vacant” pending further CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) appeals, which were made by Senegal.

The dates for the 2027 tournament were approved by the FIFA Council at a recent meeting in Vancouver, Canada.

CAF will announce the host venues for the opening match and the final in due course.

As the first AFCON to be staged across three nations, the 2027 edition presents a unique opportunity for CAF and African football to reach more than 400 million people across the East African region.

Qualification and Road to the Final Tournament:

With the preliminary round completed, the journey to Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda will continue with the draw for the qualifiers, scheduled for 19 May 2026.

A total of 48 teams, including the three co-hosts, will participate in the qualifiers. The draw will determine the pathway to the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027.

The qualifiers will be played across 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

The 48 teams will be divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the final tournament.

The TotalEnergies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027 also marks the competition’s return to the East African region for the first time since Ethiopia hosted the tournament in 1976.

The tournament will build on the success of recent editions, including Morocco 2025 and Côte d’Ivoire 2023, which delivered record commercial revenue, sponsorship growth, and global broadcast audiences—highlighting the growing competitiveness and popularity of African football on the world stage.