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CAF confirms kick-off and final dates for AFCON 2027
02nd May, 2026 05:20 PM
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the date timelines for the opening match and the final of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament, dubbed PAMOJA 2027, a historic edition that will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
In a statement on Saturday, May 2, 2026, the confederation stated that the opening match will be played on Saturday, June 19, 2027, and the final on Saturday, July 17, 2027.
CAF also revealed the draw for the qualifiers of the continental showpiece will take place on May 19, 2067.
Timelines
“The TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Pamoja 2027 is the first AFCON to be hosted by three countries, presenting a unique opportunity for CAF and African football to reach over 400 million people in East African region,’ a statement from CAF read.
“With the preliminary round completed, the journey to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will continue with the draw for the qualifiers of the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027, which will take place on 19 May 2026,” the statement added.
The qualifiers will be played across the three FIFA international windows as follows:
Match days one and two will take centre stage between September and October 2026, before match days three and four follow from November 9, 2026, to November 17, 2026.
Matchday schedules
- 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
A total of 48 teams will battle it out for the berths in the draw, which will comprise 12 groups of four teams each.
The top two teams in each group will qualify for the final tournament.
The lead-up to AFCON 2027 is expected to generate widespread excitement across East Africa, with organisers confident the event will highlight the region’s advancing football infrastructure and hosting capabilities.
FKF in turmoil
However, the foregoing comes amid uncertainty in the leadership of the country’s Football Federation (FKF), which is entangled in leadership wrangles pitting President Hussein Mohammed on one side and his deputy and a section of the NEC members on the other side.
The National Executive Committee’s (NEC) suspended President Hussein Mohammed and installed his deputy, McDonald Mariga, as acting president o Friday, April 24, 2026, causing a new storm in Kenyan football management
Already there have been warnings over how the wrangles could hamper the country’s preparations and image ahead of the historic hosting of the continental showpiece.
“We have a serious crisis with only months to go before hosting AFCON, and there is no point in the president and NEC trying to outdo one another. Questions linger on how the LOC will function if the president and the federation are run this way,” former FKF CEO Lordvick Aduda warned.
