AFCON 2027 Dates Ratified by FIFA as Key Change is Made

The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations has now been ratified by FIFA with a main change in the dates for the tournament set to be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

East Africa will host AFCON for the first time next year with all three nations intensifying their preparations ahead of another round of inspection by Confederation of African Football (CAF) officials.

The FIFA Council has ratified major tournaments set to be played in 2027 with AFCON retaining its slot between June and July.

However, there is an alteration on the final date. Initially, it was reported that AFCON 2027 will take place between June 19 and July 18, 2027 but now, the tournament will kick off on June 19 and end on July 17, 2027.

CAF president Patrice Motsepe had insisted that the tournament will not be moved to 2028 or taken away from East Africa as many had reported at the start of the year and also confirmed that it will be held between June and July.

However, there was no confirmation on the exact dates, something that become clear following a statement from Uganda’s AFCON 2027 Local Organising Committee early this month before the FIFA Council gave it its seal of approval.

AFCON moves back to the summer dates that are favoured by European clubs and last witnessed during the 2019 edition held in Egypt.

With that confirmation, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have their work cut out when it comes to preparations as according to a recent CAF inspection report, the region is still behind schedule on stadiums and training facilities required to host the tournament.

AFCON 2027 will also have an increased number of participating teams with 28 set to feature up from 24.