AFCON 2027 expansion confirmed as tournament grows to 28 teams in East African first

The Africa Cup of Nations will be expanded to 28 teams from 2027, with Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania jointly hosting a historic edition of the continent’s showpiece tournament.

Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe confirmed the format change at a news conference, announcing that the TotalEnergies CAF CAN KE-TZ-UG 2027 will feature four more national teams than the 24 that have contested recent editions.

The 2027 finals will be the first time Africa’s biggest international football competition is staged in East Africa and the first time Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have co‐hosted the event. The three neighbours will share responsibilities for staging matches and training, as well as accommodating teams, officials and supporters.

Motsepe said he was confident the expanded tournament would be delivered successfully and argued that the joint bid would raise standards on and off the pitch.

CAF backing for East African hosts

The CAF president stressed that preparations across the three countries were progressing in line with expectations and that the governing body was satisfied with the work being carried out.

He said during the news conference:

“Les preparatifs de la TotalEnergies CAF CAN KE-TZ-UG 2027 progressent conformement au calendrier etabli. Les gouvernements du Kenya, de la Tanzanie et de l’Ouganda font preuve d’un engagement exemplaire et travaillent en etroite collaboration avec la CAF afin de garantir que l’ensemble des infrastructures (stades, terrains d’entrainement, hebergements, transports, dispositifs securitaires et medicaux, reseaux technologiques et moyens de diffusion) reponde aux exigences necessaires au succes de l’evenement.”

Motsepe underlined that CAF is working closely with the three governments to ensure that stadiums, training facilities, accommodation, transport, security, medical provision, technology networks and broadcast capabilities all meet the standards required for an expanded tournament.

Impact of expansion on African football

CAF views the move from 24 to 28 finalists as a significant milestone in the development of the game across the continent.

By opening up four additional places at the finals, more national teams will have the chance to qualify for the 2027 tournament, which CAF believes will increase competition during both qualifying and the finals themselves, while also giving greater exposure to emerging football nations.

The reform is intended to boost the visibility of African football, offering more players, supporters and commercial partners the opportunity to be involved in what will be the largest Africa Cup of Nations ever staged.

CAF expects that the joint organisation by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, combined with the expanded format, will help deliver a tournament it describes as being of “very high level” for all stakeholders, while marking a new chapter in the evolution of the competition.