The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially announced the kick-off and final dates for the historic 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
In a statement released by the continental football body, the opening match of the tournament will take place on Saturday, 19 June 2027, while the final is scheduled for Saturday, 17 July 2027.
CAF added that the specific host countries for both the opening fixture and the final will be announced at a later date.
Branded “PAMOJA 2027,” the tournament represents a landmark moment in African football as it will be the first time the Africa Cup of Nations is co-hosted by three nations.
The initiative is expected to provide a unique opportunity for CAF to engage with a combined audience of over 400 million people across the East African region.
CAF also confirmed details of the qualification process leading up to the tournament. Following the preliminary round, attention will turn to the main qualifiers draw, scheduled for 19 May 2026.
A total of 48 teams, including the three co-hosts, will participate in the qualifiers. These teams will be divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the final tournament.
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
