Everything to know about the Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will make history next year as the first three nations to co-host the Africa Cup of Nations, bringing the tournament back to East Africa for the first time in half a century.
Dates and hosts
The 36th Africa Cup of Nations, officially the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027, runs June 19 – July 17, 2027 across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania — the first edition ever shared by three host countries.
A return to East Africa after 50 years
This will be the first AFCON hosted in the CECAFA region since Ethiopia staged the tournament in 1976, a landmark moment for East African football and a chance to showcase the region's growing infrastructure and fan culture.
24 teams, 12 qualifying groups
The finals will feature 24 teams, with 21 places up for grabs through qualifying (the top two in each of the 12 groups) alongside the three automatically qualified co-hosts. Qualifying runs through three windows between September 2026 and March 2027.
Why Kenya still plays qualifiers
Although co-hosts qualify automatically for the finals, CAF requires them to still compete in the qualifying group stage so their group retains a fair, competitive structure for the other three nations chasing a finals spot — the same approach used for previous co-host tournaments.
Sources: CAF Online, July 2026.