CAF president confident 2027 Cup of Nations will be successful despite challenges

What the report says

CNA, citing Reuters, reported that Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe expressed confidence on Wednesday that the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will succeed, even as he acknowledged unspecified challenges facing the tournament. The finals are due to be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, marking a major staging responsibility for East Africa.

Speaking at a press conference in Johannesburg, Motsepe said CAF should maintain confidence despite setbacks and predicted the competition would be an “enormous success.” He also praised the work being done by the leaders of the three host countries. CNA/Reuters noted that Motsepe did not identify the challenges, but stadium construction in Kenya has drawn concern in recent years.

According to the report, Kenyan government officials said in May that work was on track at the planned 60,000-seat Talanta Sports City stadium in Nairobi and on renovations to the 48,000-capacity Moi International Sports Centre. CAF has not yet announced the venues for the 2027 finals, which are scheduled for June 19 to July 17. Qualifying for the 24-team tournament is set to begin in September and finish by March.

The report also said Motsepe referred to future Africa Cup of Nations bidding, saying bids for 2028, 2032 and 2036 had opened and that CAF had received “exciting” proposals, though he did not provide details. The tournament is significant because AFCON is Africa’s flagship men’s football championship and the 2027 edition will test regional co-hosting plans and infrastructure readiness.