CAF President Projects Billions Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania Will Generate from AFCON 2027

As East Africa prepares to host the world during the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe has explained how the region will benefit economically.

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will stage the tournament set to take place between June June 19 and July 17, 2027 with preparations under way in the three countries, especially on stadiums and training grounds.

However, not everyone is in support of AFCON 2027 as some feel it is a big strain on the economies of the three countries but Motsepe has given exciting numbers based on the last edition staged in Morocco last year, projecting that East Africa could generate more.

“2.5 billion people watched the AFCON in Morocco, 6.2 billion digital viewers. Billions of people worldwide were interacting and viewing what was going on in Morocco. 180 countries throughout the world were watching the AFCON in Morocco,” Motsepe said during his address at the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi on Monday.

The CAF boss explained how research found that Morocco had benefited to the tune of $2 billion (Ksh258 billion) from the month-long tournament while keeping faith that Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania stand to benefit the same way, if not much more.

“The Moroccan economy benefited approximately $2 billion. Nielsen is one of the top research and marketing companies in the world, used by UEFA and FIFA, and we asked them to make a study and they found that the economy of Morocco benefited for the value of $2 billion for the month of AFCON,” he added.

“Next year, President [William] Ruto will be hosting the world and we are hosting in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda the most successful AFCON in the history of this competition.”

AFCON’s stature has grown in recent years to a tournament that now attracts global attention and in 2023, CAF generated a record $72 million (Ksh9.3 billion) in profit of before the figure rose to $113 million (Ksh14.6 billion) in net profit for the 2025 tournament. There is strong belief that the 2027 edition in East Africa will beat those numbers.