Support and criticism for east African co hosts of 2027 Afcon

The next Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament is set for mid-2027, but already there have been reassuring comments and criticism for co-hosts Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Morocco were hugely successful hosts of the latest edition of the premier African sporting event, which ended this month with their national team losing the final 1-0 to Senegal.

But if the Moroccans failed to bridge a 50-year gap since their only Afcon title, there was widespread praise for the way they staged the 24-nation event.

“This has been the most successful Afcon in the history of the competition — the quality of the football has been world class,” said Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe.

“So has the quality of the stadiums and the infrastructure,” added the South African businessman, who turns 64 on Wednesday.

Doubters, including highly respected Ivorian journalist Mamadou Gaye, are unsure whether the three east African countries can match the benchmarks set by Morocco.

“Morocco has put the bar very high in terms of infrastructure, top-class stadiums, top-class highways taking you throughout the country,” Gaye told the Kenyan media.

“There is no highway linking Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. They must build this type of infrastructure.

“I have been there (Kenya), driving throughout the country. I have seen the quality of the roads. I have seen traffic jams that can make you miss a match.”

Motsepe struck a confident note when asked by Gaye in Morocco about the readiness of the 2027 co-hosts to stage the Afcon.

“I have a duty to develop football all over Africa — I cannot have football only in those countries with the best infrastructure,” said the CAF boss.

“I am confident that the Afcon in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will be enormously successful. We are not going to take the competition away from these countries.”

‘Kenya absolutely beautiful’ 

South Africa-born Kenya head coach Benni McCarthy was equally optimistic, telling reporters “Kenya is absolutely beautiful and well capable of hosting a major tournament”.

The three east African countries last year staged the African Nations Championship (Chan), a competition reserved for footballers playing in their country of birth.

What turned out to be the final edition of the Chan had to be put back from February to August because of delays in preparations.

Challenges during the 2025 Chan included ticket distribution, crowd control and supporters breaching perimeter security checkpoints.

During the Afcon in Morocco, Motsepe announced that the Chan would be discontinued after eight editions as it had created a “huge financial black hole”.

Ghana and Nigeria co-hosted the 2000 Afcon and Equatorial Guinea and Gabon did likewise in 2012, but the 2027 tournament will be the first to be shared among three countries.

The 2027 edition will also be the first in which all 54 CAF member nations take part with long-time absentees Eritrea competing.

“I can confirm that we (Eritrea) have registered to play in the qualifiers for the 2027 Afcon,” national football federation president Paulos Andemariam told reporters in Morocco this month.

Eritrea last competed 19 years ago, defeating Kenya twice only to finish second in a group behind sole qualifiers Angola. They will meet Eswatini during March in the 2027 preliminary round.

While Eritrean officials have never commented on subsequent non-appearances, it is widely believed they were linked to footballers seeking asylum after travelling to other African countries.

Those not willing to return home to the one-party state ruled by President Isaias Afwerki since gaining independence from Ethiopia in 1993 often cite repression and lengthy military service.

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