Confederation of African Football Federation (Caf) President Patrice Motsepe has firmly dismissed speculation that the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), to be co-hosted by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, will be postponed.
Motsepe made the remarks on Friday during a press conference held after the Caf Executive Committee meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, amid growing debate on social media and in sections of the press questioning whether the three nations will meet the requirements of staging a 24-team tournament across 10 host cities.
He assured football fans across the continent that the Afcon Pamoja project remains firmly on course.
“I was once told that Cameroon was not ready to host Afcon and that other countries with the infrastructure were recommended. But we have to believe in ourselves as Africans and recognize that, while there will be challenges, Afcon next year in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania is going to be successful,” Motsepe said.
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He described reports suggesting that Caf could strip the region of hosting rights as baseless.
“The Afcon next year in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda is going to be enormously successful. Over the last few days I have seen lots of media speculation on social media and allegations that I am here to tell Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, that I’m taking away the Afcon because the three countries are not going to be ready. That’s totally unfounded,” he added.
Motsepe emphasized the importance of African nations trusting their capacity to organise major international competitions.
“There is always a huge responsibility on us as Africans, and a commitment by all of us to show our people that we can host an Afcon, that we can host a football competition like the best in the world,” he noted.
The 2027 tournament will mark the first time Afcon is jointly hosted by three countries, a historic milestone for East African football and a significant test of regional cooperation.
