CAF shuts down talk of 28-team 2027 Africa Cup of Nations and confirms 24-team format will stay

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has moved to end speculation over a possible expansion of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, confirming the tournament will again feature 24 teams rather than 28.

In a statement issued through its official channels, CAF said president Patrice Motsepe had made the position clear during a press conference on Wednesday, stressing that the 2027 edition would maintain the existing 24-team format.

CAF described recent reports suggesting a change in the number of participating teams as “inaccurate”, underlining that no decision had been taken to increase the size of the competition for the next finals.

The clarification comes after several media outlets claimed that the tournament in 2027, which will be jointly hosted by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, was set to expand to 28 nations for the first time.

Tournament dates and qualifying schedule set

CAF also confirmed the planned calendar for the 2027 finals and the qualifying competition.

The governing body said the Africa Cup of Nations in 2027 is scheduled to be staged across June and July, maintaining the mid-year window that it has increasingly favoured in recent editions.

The qualifiers for the tournament are due to get under way in September 2026 and will continue into October 2026, with the traditional qualifying process determining the 24 teams that will reach the finals in East Africa.

No further details were provided on the format of qualifying, but CAF’s statement made clear that any suggestion of additional places being created for the finals was unfounded.

Expansion history to remain unchanged in 2027

CAF’s intervention also served to place the current format in a wider historical context.

The Africa Cup of Nations underwent its biggest-ever expansion for the 2019 tournament in Egypt, when the number of finalists increased from 16 to 24 teams. That change, which significantly broadened participation across the continent, has remained in place ever since.

The 24-team structure was used again at the tournaments in 2021 and 2023, and is also planned for the 2025 edition. CAF has now reiterated that the same model will “continue to be applied” for the 2027 finals.

By restating its commitment to the 24-team format and publishing exact dates for both the tournament and its qualifiers, CAF has sought to bring clarity after days of speculation and to reaffirm continuity in how Africa’s flagship international competition is organised.