East African Hosts Race to Complete AFCON 2027 Preparations

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are intensifying preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations as the three East African countries face a series of construction and readiness deadlines before the tournament begins.

AFCON 2027 is scheduled to run from June 19 to July 17, 2027. It will be the first edition of the competition jointly hosted by three countries and will feature 24 national teams competing across the region.

A Confederation of African Football delegation spent eight days inspecting stadiums, training grounds, hotels, airports and other infrastructure in the three host countries. The inspections formed part of CAF’s assessment of preparations, although the available information does not establish that all facilities have received final approval.

Kenya faces outstanding work

In Nairobi, the newly built Talanta Sports International Stadium has a capacity of 60,000 and is expected to serve as Kenya’s flagship venue. CAF President Patrice Motsepe said he was impressed by progress at the stadium during a visit.

Work is still continuing at Kasarani Stadium. Nicholus Musonye, chairman of Kenya’s AFCON 2027 Local Organising Committee, said the pitch should be completed by the end of October and that the venue should be ready for handover in December.

Musonye said Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania were ready to host the tournament. However, concerns remain about parts of Kenya’s preparations. Kenyan football fan Kelvin Kimaru said training grounds for participating teams were not yet ready, while Moses Kamalik of the Boxing Federation of Kenya said Nyayo Stadium and Kipchoge Keino Stadium also required further work.

“We are not yet ready because the training grounds for the coming teams are not yet ready,” Kimaru said.

Tanzania reports progress on venues

Tanzania’s AFCON 2027 Local Organising Committee said its stadiums were, on average, more than 80 percent complete and were expected to be ready for handover to CAF in January.

Neema Msitha, the committee’s chief executive, said five training facilities were being prepared in each Tanzanian host location and were about 75 percent complete.

Authorities have also issued instructions to speed up the work. Tanzania’s prime minister ordered the acceleration of construction at AFCON training grounds, while Works Minister Abdallah Ulega directed contractors working on tournament-linked roads in Arusha to operate around the clock.

Dar-es-Salaam is among the locations connected to the preparations, with the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium and training facilities included in the country’s wider tournament plans.

Uganda sets December target

Uganda’s infrastructure programme is expected to be ready by December 31, according to Patrick Ogwel. Hoima City Stadium has been completed and commissioned, while Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium was expected to be completed and commissioned by December.

Uganda’s Local Organising Committee has identified Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium, Hoima City Stadium and Mandela National Stadium as the country’s three main stadiums. The committee expects 10 of Uganda’s 12 training facilities to be ready by the end of the year, while some others are planned for completion in January 2027.

Uganda’s State Minister for Sports, Peter Ogwang, directed the Uganda People’s Defence Forces to accelerate work on several AFCON training facilities after concerns about construction progress.

The three hosts jointly staged the 2024 African Nations Championship and also had representatives from their local organising committees involved in an observer mission at the recent AFCON in Morocco. The upcoming competition will be a larger undertaking, requiring stadiums, training grounds, transport, hospitality, security, broadcasting, media and match operations to function across three countries.

AFCON is returning to East Africa for the first time since Ethiopia hosted the finals in 1976. With less than nine months remaining before the opening match, the host countries are now working to turn reported construction progress into fully operational tournament facilities.