Confederation of African Football (CAF) has chosen Kenya’s joint bid to the 2027 version of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
In an event held on Wednesday, September 27, CAF President Patrice Motsepe announced that Kenya will host the competition alongside neighboring countries Tanzania and Uganda.
“The 2027 version is going to be beautiful. The commitment and drive made by the three presidents of the countries shows how eager the region is to host this event,” said Motsepe.
The East African countries were chosen ahead of Senegal, Botswana, and Egypt to host the prestigious event.
Additionally, this is the first time AFCON will be hosted in East and Central Africa.
The three countries submitted their bid to host the competition under the East Africa AFCON Pamoja bid.
Further, this means that Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have automatically qualified for the 2027 AFCON as hosts.
In the bid, Kenya is said to have used the modernization of the Nyayo Stadium, Kasarani Stadium and the new Kipchonge Keino Stadium as the convincing factors.
On the other hand, Tanzania tabled three stadiums suitable to host the highest football event in the continent.
This includes the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, Chamazi Complex and the CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza, among others.
However, Uganda used the Namboole Stadium in the bis as construction of other venues continue.
Kenyan Sports CS Ababu Namwamba and Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Nick Mwendwa attended the Executive Committee in Cairo, Egypt where the results were announced.
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2025 AFCON Host
CAF selected to Morocco to host the competition in 2025 ahead of Algeria.
Morocco got 22 votes against Algeria’s zero to win the 2025 hosting bid.
Moreover, Zambia, Nigeria and Benin withdrew from the 2025 AFCON hosting in favor of Morocco’s bid.
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Hosting Requirements
CAF requirements for hosting the AFCON indicate that a country needs six stadiums, with two that can hold 40,000 fans, another two that can hold 20,000 fans, and two that can hold at least 15,000 fans.
This was one reason Kenya lost the rights to host the competition in 2018.
Further, security is an important determinant for countries intending to host AFCON, with host nations and cities receiving many visitors during the tournament.
Therefore, countries experiencing political instability l or other security concerns may not be suitable for hosting, as was the case with Libya when it withdrew from hosting AFCON in 2017.
However, the economic boost generated by hosting the competition usually outweighs the costs and can provide benefits eventually.
