Good news for East Africa Region football fans as the Pamoja bid of hosting the 2027 Africa Cup of Nation (AFCON) men’s tournament have been approved by Confederation Africa Football (CAF). This means that the rights to host the finals have been awarded to Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The 2027 finals got bids from Algeria, Botswana, and Egypt and a joint bid from East Africa countries of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania titled ‘Pamoja Bid’. The Confederation of African Football President Patrice Motsepe made this announcement on Wednesday 27th September 2023 at the CAF headquarters in Cairo Egypt immediately after a CAF executive meeting.
Regarding the 2025 tournament’s hosts, CAF had awarded Guinea the rights to host the 2025 edition of the biannual tournament in October 2022 but stripped the West African nation of the rights due to lack of adequate infrastructure. CAF said they had received bids from Algeria, Morocco, and Zambia, plus a co-hosting bid from Benin and Nigeria, for the 2025 finals. Morocco emerged the favorites and they were awarded the rights to stage the 2025 AFCON men’s biannual tournament after fellow bidders Algeria and Nigeria withdrew from the process.
The Pamoja bid emerged superior of other bids and they were awarded the rights to host the 2027 AFCON men’s tournament after other contestants withdrew from the race two days before the official announcement. The tournament will be played in three countries Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania through various stages. Kenya once won the right to stage the finals in 1996 but missed the opportunity since the stadiums in the country did not meet CAF requirements. Uganda has no approved stadium after the Namboole Stadium was blacklisted in 2020 for not meeting the CAF standards. The 60,000-seater Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dares Salaam is the only CAF-approved facility in East Africa. The Pamoja bid had fronted Benjamin Mkapa, Namboole, and Moi Stadium, Kasarani as the main host venues for the matches.
Kenya has begun renovation of its stadiums – Nyayo, Kasarani and Kip Keino stadium – and construction of a new 50,000 seater capacity Talanta Stadium. Uganda have also begun their preparations ahead of the AFCON 2027 by renovating some of its stadiums including the 35,000-seater Nakivubo Stadium in Kampala and St Mary’s Stadium, a 15,000-seater, which is under massive renovation as per FUFA (Federation of Uganda Football). Tanzania on the other hand will carry out renovations of the Chamanzi Complex (10,000 seater), CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza (35,000 seater), Mkwakwani Stadium in Tanga (15,000 seater) and Jamhuri Stadium in Dodoma (20,000 seater).
The means that Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have automatically qualified for the 2027 edition as the hosts.