Motsepe: 2027 AFCON in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda Will Be 'Very Successful'

13 February 2026at14:13

Patrice Motsepe, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), expressed strong confidence in the success of the upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, while also acknowledging the necessity of challenges.

Speaking at a press conference held today, Friday, on the sidelines of his attendance at a CAF Executive Committee meeting, Motsepe stated: "I want to reiterate what I said in Morocco, which is that the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda will be very successful."

He continued: "I am very confident that we will succeed. Will there be challenges? Of course, there are always challenges. We had a very big challenge in Cameroon. Shortly after I took office, I was told by people whose opinions I respect that 'Cameroon is not ready, we must take it from there,' and they recommended a number of countries that were ready because they had the necessary infrastructure."

He added: "But we must believe in ourselves as Africans. We must believe in our people and acknowledge that there are challenges, but as happened in Tanzania, or as happened in Cameroon, Cameroon was very successful, and when we went to Ivory Coast, the president there faced the same problem. A lot of the media was saying: 'Ivory Coast will never be ready, and we must take the tournament from there.'"

He went on: "But, as I said, the principle that has made us successful in African football is that we were very clear and said: CAF, and African football, will work together despite any challenges for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda."

He concluded: "It will be very successful. And one of the reasons I insisted that the CHAN tournament be held in our three countries, despite my realization that we were all working hard to be ready last year in February, is that when it became clear to me that we were not ready, I was also clear in my mind that we would all work together."

Q&A

What is Patrice Motsepe's outlook on the 2027 AFCON in East Africa?

CAF President Patrice Motsepe is "very confident" Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda will host a "very successful" 2027 AFCON, drawing on past experiences where initial doubts about host readiness were overcome.

How does CAF plan to overcome potential challenges for the 2027 AFCON hosts?

Motsepe acknowledges inevitable challenges, similar to past AFCONs in Cameroon and Ivory Coast. He emphasizes CAF's principle of collective effort and belief in African capabilities to ensure the 2027 tournament's success.

Tanzania

Kenya

Uganda