The race for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations has begun, with 48 nations competing for 21 remaining places at the first tournament to be jointly hosted by three countries.
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have already secured their places in the finals as hosts of the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027. Their automatic qualification means the remaining teams will compete for 21 positions in the 24-team tournament.
The finals will take place from 19 June to 17 July 2027. It will be the first time the Africa Cup of Nations has been staged jointly by three nations, with the East African neighbours sharing hosting duties.
The tournament’s theme, “Pamoja”, is a Swahili word meaning “together”. The slogan reflects the partnership between the three host nations as they prepare to stage Africa’s leading international football competition.
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will still take part in the qualifying campaign, despite having guaranteed places in the finals. Their involvement affects how qualification will be decided in their respective groups.
How qualification will work
The 48 competing nations have been divided into 12 groups, labelled Group A through to Group L. CAF has kept the established 24-team format for the finals.
In the nine groups that do not contain one of the host nations, the top two teams will qualify automatically. Those groups will therefore provide 18 of the 21 teams qualifying through sporting performance.
The three remaining groups are Group D, which includes Kenya, Group H, which includes Tanzania, and Group L, which includes Uganda.
Because the host nations are already guaranteed places, only the highest-ranked non-host team in each of those three groups will claim a place at the finals. Those groups will produce three further qualifiers.
The qualifying campaign will therefore determine 21 teams, who will join the three hosts to complete the line-up for AFCON 2027.
Kenya is scheduled to stage matches in Nairobi, including games at Talanta Stadium. Tanzania, the lead host, will host fixtures in Dar es Salaam, with Benjamin Mkapa Stadium among the key venues. Uganda will welcome matches to Kampala, where the historic Mandela National Stadium is expected to play an important role.
The three nations are preparing to host the competition together for the first time, adding further significance to the 2027 edition. Their automatic places are secured, but the other 48 participating nations must now negotiate the qualifying campaign to earn one of the 21 available tickets.
When qualification is completed, the three hosts and the 21 teams that progress on sporting merit will form the 24-team Africa Cup of Nations tournament in 2027.
