AFCON 2027: CAF President Demands Morocco-Level Excellence for Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania

The Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe has set high expectations ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.

Speaking at a press conference during his visit to Morocco, he praised the nation for establishing a benchmark in African football that other countries should strive to emulate.

Patrice Motsepe noted that the 2025 AFCON staged in Morocco stands as the most successful edition in the tournament’s history.

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The competition achieved record-breaking milestones in commercial revenue, global viewership, and stadium attendance.

It reportedly generated more than $112 million in profit, attracted a record 23 sponsors, and amassed over 6 billion digital views.

Patrice Motsepe stated that Morocco had set a new benchmark for football on the continent, expressing both admiration and pride in the level achieved and stressing that future tournaments would be expected to match and sustain those elevated standards.

He explained that this was the reason he led CAF’s executive committee to Tanzania after the tournament, as a show of trust and commitment to working closely with East African nations to strengthen the game in the region ahead of the 2027 AFCON.

He further emphasised that his broader objective is to drive the growth of football across the entire continent, noting that development efforts must extend to all regions and involve each of Africa’s 54 member associations to ensure long-term progress and competitiveness.

“You see, Morocco has raised the standard. It has raised the standard, and I'm not just happy, I'm proud of that. So, the next AFCON, you have a high standard to come up to and to maintain,” Patrice Motsepe shared.

“That's why I took the Exco to Tanzania after the AFCON to say to them, I have confidence in you and we're going to work together and make a change because I need to develop football in East Africa.

“I need to develop football throughout the continent in every single one of the zones in Africa, in every single one of the 54 nations in Africa.”

Patrice Motsepe explained that he would be travelling to Kenya to attend a meeting of heads of state after adjusting his schedule at the request of several leaders who encouraged his presence despite a prior clash of commitments.

He pointed out that the visit would also provide an opportunity to assess sporting infrastructure in the country, as part of wider preparations linked to the development of football in the region.

Motsepe further revealed that CAF has deployed a team stationed in East Africa to support ongoing initiatives and stressed that sustained effort, discipline, and high ambition are central to achieving success.

“I'll be going to Kenya. There's a meeting of heads of state, and I wasn't going to go there because there was a conflict on that date. But when some of the heads of state asked me to be there, I had no choice but to rearrange and be in Kenya on the 12th May,” he shared.

“I'm going to use that visit to look at the infrastructure. There's a team from CAF that is based in East Africa, because you know, in life, you reap what you sow, you work very hard, you succeed.

“You are paranoid and obsessed with success, you increase the chances of success, and we are very clear about the very high standards we set for ourselves, so I'm clear that we're going to succeed there in Tanzania, in Kenya and Uganda.”