Uganda’s long-awaited dream of hosting Africa’s biggest football tournament, alongside Kenya and Tanzania, hangs in the balance after reports have emerged that CAF will discuss postponing the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations to 2028.
CAF’s executive committee will meet in Dar es Salaam tomorrow, Friday, February 13, 2026, with growing concern over whether Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will meet the demands of staging a 24-team tournament across 10 cities.
For Uganda, the decision carries heavy weight, as AFCON 2027, under the Pamoja bid stands as the country’s biggest sporting project in history and a central pillar in plans to upgrade national infrastructure.
At the heart of the debate lies stadium readiness. Uganda’s Akii Bua Olympic Stadium in Lira remains under construction, Namboole is pending final refurbishment and Kenya’s Talanta Stadium and Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Stadium are nearly complete.
But CAF officials are concerned the projects will not meet the required standards in time for the 24-team tournament, and want firm guarantees on timelines, safety certification and broadcast requirements.
CAF sources also point to wider concerns around transport networks, accommodation capacity, ticketing systems and security coordination across the three host nations.
Last August’s CHAN tournament exposed operational gaps, with ticketing challenges and security management issues evident across host venues in the region, which raised doubts about readiness for a competition of AFCON’s scale.
CAF now faces pressure to avoid reputational risk to its flagship event.
The international calendar adds another layer of complexity. With up to 10 African teams expected at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, CAF must find space to complete Afcon qualifiers without straining players or national associations.
Political timing also factors into the discussion, with Kenya set to go to the polls in August 2027, just days after the scheduled tournament, while Uganda just concluded its 2026 general election, and Tanzania voted in 2025.
CAF must weigh stability, security planning and cross-border coordination as essential pillars of tournament delivery.
A postponement would see CAF reset the competition into a four-year cycle starting in 2028. The governing body also plans to introduce an African Nations League in 2029 as a key revenue competition, replacing the current biennial structure of Afcon and Chan.
Despite the speculation, CAF president Patrice Motsepe has publicly backed the East African project.
He has stressed a duty to spread football development across the continent and has voiced confidence that Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania will deliver a successful AFCON.
For Uganda, AFCON 2027 promises jobs, tourism revenue and accelerated infrastructure development, and a postponement would test momentum and public confidence.
