By Kwame Bediako
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations is still officially scheduled for Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania from 19 June to 17 July, but growing concerns over stadium and organisational delays have raised the possibility of a postponement to the Christmas and New Year period.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe has publicly insisted there is “no Plan B” and no plan to move the tournament away from the three East African hosts, while acknowledging that preparations are in a state of “great urgency” with less than a year to go.
Reports in Le Monde and The Guardian suggest CAF has quietly sounded out alternative hosts, including Morocco, Algeria, Cote d’Ivoire, South Africa and Egypt, and has discussed shifting the competition to December and January to give the Pamoja countries more time.
A major concern is Nairobi’s Talanta Sports Stadium, which has yet to be completed and is expected to serve as Kenya’s main AFCON venue.
Motsepe is due to return in January 2027 for what he has described as a final assessment of readiness, a visit that could prove decisive in determining whether the tournament stays on schedule.
For now, CAF’s public position remains unchanged: the 2027 AFCON will be staged in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania next summer. But the reported discussions over alternative hosts and a possible winter switch underline the growing uncertainty surrounding the event.
