NAIROBI, Kenya, January 18, 2026 - Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Patrice Motsepe says Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will not be stripped of the hosting rights for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

Motsepe is confident the three countries will stage a continental competition for the ages.

"I was insisting that CHAN takes place in those countries even though

Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn

they were not ready in February. I was convinced that it would help us enormously to to make sure that we've got a successful AFCON next year," Motsepe said.

The South African further argues that Afcon 2027 is an opportunity for the three countries to upgrade their sports infrastructure.

"You know, I have a duty to develop football all over Africa. I can't have competitions only in those four countries where you've got the infrastructure. You've got to create opportunities for the other countries to build infrastructure as well. I'm confident that the AFCON in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda will be enormously successful," the South African said.

The 36th edition of the competition will be the first time for it to be held in East Africa.

Previously, Kenya had the opportunity to host it in 1996 but withdrew, allowing South Africa to eventually stage the competition.

The three countries co-hosted the Africa Nations Championships (CHAN) in August last year, amid a number of challenges including ticketing and security measures around the stadium.

However, a key success of the competition was the packed stadium as thousands of fans filled the stands to cheer on their favourite teams.

The 2027 Afcon will be the last biennial edition before the competition transitions to a quadrennial format from 2028.