The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the schedule for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
In an official statement released on Saturday, CAF confirmed the dates for the qualifying rounds, the opening match, and the final of the tournament, also known as CAN PAMOJA 2027.
The competition will kick off on Saturday, June 19, 2027, while the final is scheduled for Saturday, July 17, 2027. CAF said it will announce the host countries for both the opening match and the final at a later date.
The draw for the qualifiers will take place on May 19, 2026. A total of 48 teams, including the three host nations, will compete for a place in the final tournament.
The qualifying matches will be played across three FIFA international windows:
Matchdays 1 and 2: September 21 – October 6, 2026
Matchdays 3 and 4: November 9 – 17, 2026
Matchdays 5 and 6: March 22 – 30, 2027
The teams will be divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the final tournament, CAF said.
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