CAF expands 2027 Africa Cup of Nations to 28 teams in major tournament shake-up

The Africa Cup of Nations will be expanded to 28 teams from 2027 in a significant overhaul of the continent’s flagship football tournament, the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, has confirmed.

Speaking at a press conference in Johannesburg on Wednesday, Motsepe said the next edition of the competition – to be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania from 19 June to 17 July 2027 – will feature four more teams than the 24 that contested the last finals in Morocco.

« Nous avons augmente le nombre de participants a la prochaine edition de la CAN. » (“We have increased the number of participants in the next edition of the AFCON.”)

The move mirrors expansions seen in other major international tournaments and is aimed at opening up the competition to more of CAF’s 54 member associations.

However, with qualifying for the 2027 tournament due to begin in September, the confederation is under pressure to quickly spell out exactly how the enlarged format will work.

New format: 7 groups and a revised route to the knockouts

While CAF has yet to publish the official regulations, a widely discussed and likely model would see the 28 finalists divided into seven groups of four teams.

Under this proposal, the top two sides in each group would advance to the last 16, along with the two best third-placed teams. That would produce the 16 nations required for the knockout rounds, with the remaining 12 teams eliminated after the group stage.

This would mark a subtle but important change from the format used at the last 24-team tournament, where there were six groups of four and four of the third-placed teams progressed to the round of 16.

The presence of three co-hosts also adds another layer of complexity. Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are expected to qualify automatically as hosts, meaning the qualification pathway must accommodate three guaranteed spots alongside the new 28-team finals structure.

Qualification questions as September draw nears

With less than a year to go before the expanded AFCON kicks off in East Africa, coaches, players and federations are waiting for clarity on the qualification system.

The qualifying campaign is due to start with the new international window in September, leaving CAF limited time to “lift the veil” on how teams will be seeded, grouped and allocated spots under the revised setup.

A commonly floated scenario is that the top two nations from each qualifying group would reach the tournament, potentially joined by some of the best third-placed finishers, depending on how CAF balances the automatic places for the three hosts.

The expansion means that more middle-ranking and emerging African football nations are likely to have a realistic opportunity to reach the finals, increasing both competition and exposure across the continent.

Strategic move in line with global trends

CAF’s decision follows a broader global trend of enlarging major international competitions. The men’s FIFA World Cup has expanded to 48 teams from 2026, while the European Championship grew from 16 to 24 teams in 2016.

For Africa, the increase to 28 finalists is expected to generate more matches, more broadcast content and potentially greater commercial revenue, while also offering more players the chance to perform on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

At the same time, the confederation will need to address logistical and scheduling challenges, particularly with three host nations sharing responsibilities for stadiums, training facilities, transport and security.

With the clock ticking towards June 2027, national associations and supporters across Africa will be watching closely for CAF’s final confirmation of the format – and for how the newly expanded AFCON will reshape the continent’s most prestigious football event.