CAF Unveils AFCON 2027 Schedule Amid Ongoing Senegal-Morocco Title Dispute

Amid prevailing uncertainty, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially announced that the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled to occur from 19 June to 17 July.

In a historic first, the tournament will be jointly hosted by three countries: Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, under the theme “PAMOJA 2027.”

This upcoming edition will showcase multiple newly renovated stadiums in Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, and Kampala, which will host key matches.

The announcement comes as discussions continue around the current tournament in Morocco, where Senegal was initially crowned champion, but their title was later revoked by CAF’s Appeals Board.

This decision followed a protest from Senegal after they left the pitch due to a contentious penalty awarded to Morocco, causing an 18-minute delay.

Once the match resumed, Brahim Díaz’s penalty shot was saved, and Pape Gueye scored a late goal that appeared to secure Senegal’s second AFCON title, which was subsequently annulled by the ruling.

The title for 2025 remains “vacant,” pending further appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) by Senegal.

The FIFA Council sanctioned the tournament dates for 2027 during a recent meeting in Vancouver, Canada.

CAF will reveal the cities designated for the opening match and the final at a future date.

As the first AFCON to be hosted across three nations, the 2027 edition presents an unprecedented chance for CAF and African football to captivate over 400 million viewers in the East African region.

Qualification and Path to the Final Tournament:

With the preliminary rounds concluded, the journey to Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda continues, with the draw for qualifiers scheduled for 19 May 2026.

A total of 48 teams, including the three co-hosting nations, will take part in the qualifiers. The draw will chart the course to the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027.

The qualifiers will occur during 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 split into 12 groups of four, with the top two teams from each group proceeding to the final tournament.

The TotalEnergies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027 also signifies the return of the competition to the East African region for the first time since it was held in Ethiopia in 1976.

This tournament aims to build upon the successes of recent editions, particularly Morocco 2025 and Côte d’Ivoire 2023, which achieved record commercial revenue, sponsorship growth, and global broadcasting audiences, underscoring the rising competitiveness and popularity of African football on the world stage.