Kenya wins bid to host 2027 AFCON tourney alongside Uganda and Tanzania

Kenya will host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after its bid to host the continental tournament alongside East African neighbours Uganda and Tanzania was accepted on Wednesday afternoon.

This is following the official announcement made in Cairo, Egypt by CAF President Patrice Motsepe after an Executive Committee Meeting.

Motsepe revealed that the commitment shown by the East African Heads of States played a pivotal role in ensuring the bid dubbed ‘EA Pamoja bid’ won.

"Presidents Ruto (Kenya), Suluhu and Museveni were very instrumental and committed to ensuring the tournament will be succesfully hosted in East Africa.

The movement of people in these three countries during the tournament is important and we are guaranteed that everything will be okay," Motsepe said.

The tournament will be the first to be played in East Africa since being held in Ethiopia back in 1976.

Only two countries from the Council of East and Central Africa Football Association (CECAFA) have hosted an AFCON tournament with Sudan staging the first edition in 1957 and 1970. Ethiopia played hosts in 1962, 1968 and 1976.

To win the bid, the East African trio fended off competition from Botswana, Algeria, Senegal and Egypt.

Meanwhile the 2025 AFCON will be hosted by North African giants Morocco who won the bid.

Morocco last hosted the AFCON in 1988 and was chosen in 2015 but asked for the tournament to be postponed because of the Ebola virus, although CAF later decided to strip the north African nation of the hosting rights.

Ivory Coast will host the 2023 Cup of Nations, which has been put back to January and February 2024 due to the rainy season in west Africa.